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HEALEY WILLAN'S INTRODUCTION, PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE:
ENGLISH STYLE WITH GERMAN OVERTONES, WITH THREE
RECITALS OF SELECTED WORKS BY L. VIERNE,
J. S. BACH, F. MENDELSSOHN, W. PISTON,
V. PERSICHETTI, AND OTHERS
Don Michael Bedford, B. Mus., B. Mus. Ed., M. Mus.
APPROVED:
Major Professor
Minor Professor
Committee Member*
Committee Member
Dean of the College of Music
Dean of the Robert B. Toulouse School of Graduate Studies
HEALEY WILLAN'S INTRODUCTION, PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE:
ENGLISH STYLE WITH GERMAN OVERTONES, WITH THREE
RECITALS OF SELECTED WORKS BY L. VIERNE,
J. S. BACH, F. MENDELSSOHN, W. PISTON,
V. PERSICHETTI, AND OTHERS
DISSERTATION
Presented to the Graduate Council of the
University of North Texas in Partial
Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
By
Don Michael Bedford, B. Mus., B. Mus. Ed., M. Mus.
Denton, Texas
August, 1998
Bedford, Don Michael, Healey Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and
Fugue: English Style with German Overtones, with Three Recitals of Selected
Works by L. Vierne, J. S. Bach, F. Mendelssohn, W. Piston, V. Persichetti, and
Others. Doctor of Musical Arts (Performance), August, 1998, 78 pages, 4
figures, 50 musical examples, 2 appendices, annotated bibliography, 51 titles.
The Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue (1916) of Healey Willan
(1880-1968) is considered one of the great early twentieth-century organ works.
This document consists of the following elements: (1) an examination of
Healey Willan's background in the English Cathedral tradition; (2) a study of the
formation of his compositional style based on his knowledge of English
composers and treatises of the day; (3) a look at the German influences on his
compositional style; and (4) an analysis showing how he merged these styles
into a unified whole to create a monumental work for the organ. Included are
musical examples of English and German keyboard works compared with
examples from Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in order to
illustrate the use of similar compositional devices and stylistic traits. Also
included is a discussion of the evidence of Willan's individuality as a composer
in spite of numerous derivative sources.
Tape recordings of all performances submitted as
dissertation requirements are on deposit in the
University of North Texas Library
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FIRST RECITAL PROGRAM................................. vi
SECOND RECITAL PROGRAM..............................vii
THIRD RECITAL PROGRAM ......................................... viii
FOURTH RECITAL PROGRAM ...................................... ix
LIST OF FIGURES .......... ............................. x
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES..............................xi
INTRODUCTIONm................................................. 1
Chapter
1. HEALEY WILLAN AND THE ENGLISH CATHEDRALTRA D ITIO N ................................................. 3
Musical training and backgroundProfessional career and musical significancePlace in the English Cathedral Tradition
2. ENGLISH INFLUENCES ON HEALEY WILLAN'S COMPOSITIONALSTYLE AND THEIR BEARING ON THE INTRODUCTION,PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE ................................ 16
Early organ study and its bearings on Willan's styleEnglish academic influences
Theory and composition: Ebenezer ProutMusicology: Charles Hubert Hastings Parry
English musical influencesEdward Elgar, C. Hubert H. Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford
iv
3. GERMAN INFLUENCES ON THE INTRODUCTION,PASSACAGLIA ANDFUGUE ........................... 30
Liszt and his virtuoso organ worksBrahms and his keyboard influencesWagner and special dramatic influencesReger, blending Bach's counterpoint with Liszt's virtuosityBach's Passacaglia in C Minor and other works
4. THE INTRODUCTION, PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE:AN ANALYSIS*..........................................46
Variation techniquesContrapuntal techniquesKeyboard techniquesFormal considerationsDerivations from English and German composers
CONCLUSION ................................................ 64
APPENDIX 1: STOP LIST FOR THE CASAVANT ORGAN, ST. PAUL'SANGLICAN CHURCH, BLOOR STREET, TORONTO ........... 67
APPENDIX II: A CHRONOLOGICAL LISTING OF THE ORGANWORKS OF HEALEY WILLAN..........................71
BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................ 75
V
presents
GRADUATE RECITAL
MICHAEL BEDFORD, Organ
Messe "Cunctipotens Genitor Deus!Premier Kyrie en Taille, b cinqFugue a cinq qui renferme le. chantCromorne en Taille. a deux partiesTrio en DialogueDialogue sur les Grand jeux
Deuxieme Fantasie
Nicolas de Grigny
du Kyrie
Jehan Alain
Deux Danses a Agni Vavishta
Litanies
intermission
Louis VierneDeuxieme SymphonieAllegroChoralScherzoCantabileFinal
Monday, October 24, 19888:00 p.m.
Main Auditorium
presented in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts
vi
presents
GRADUATE RECITAL
MICHAEL BEDFORD, ORGAN
Praeludium in F-sharp Minor, BuxWV 146 Dietrich Buxtehude
"Nun *kome, der Heiden Heiland" (Leipzig Collection)Canto fermo in Soprano, BWV 659 -es.a due Bassi e Canto fermo, BWV 660In Organo pleno, Canto fermo in Pedale, BWV 661
Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 542
Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 65, No. 4Allegro con brioAndante religiosoAllegrettoAllegro maestoso e vivace
Canon in B Minor, Op. 56, No. 5
Partita Uber "Ach wie fluichtig, ach wiI. Poco lento
II. AndanteCon motoAllegroAllegro maestoso
J.S. Bach
Felix Mendelssohn
Robert Schumann
ie nichtig"Ernst Pepping
Presented in partial fulfillment of therequirements for the degree of
Doctor of Musical Arts
Monday, April 17, 19895:00 p.m.
Concert Hall
vii
Bach
University of North Texas
present
A Graduate Recital
DON MICHAEL BEDFORD, organassisted by
Greg Lynch, violin * Jeff Cowen, violaLisa Wagner, English horn * Julie Williams,flute
Monday, July 28, 1997 8:00 pm Main Auditorium
Partita for Violin, Viola and Organ.....................Walter PistonPreludeSarabandeVariationsBurlesca
Sonata da chiesaforngish4lor and Organ................Frank Martin
Resurrection ...... . a. . . . . .. .. ...... .. . a.. ....... L.... arry King
Variations on "Amazing Grace"for English Horn and Organ ... Calvin Hampton
Toccata: Inflame and Fire Our Hearts0....... . .......... Vincent Persichetti
Presented in partial fulfillment of therequirements for the degree of
Doctor of Musical Arts
vii i
University of North Texas
v
Monday, April 20, 1998 8:00 pm Main Auditorium
HEALEY WILLAN'SINTRODUCTION, PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE:ENGLISH STYLE WITH GERMAN OVERTONES
Introduction and Passacaglia in D minor.....................Max Reger
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue.....................Healey Willan
Presented in partial fulfillment of therequirements for the degree of
Doctor of Musical Arts
ix
presents
A Doctoral Lecture Recital
DON MICHAEL BEDFORD, organ
LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURE 1: Healey Willan, Introduction, structural overview ..... ..... . .p48
FIGURE 2: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, Section 1, structural overview ... 51
FIGURE 3: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, Section 2, structural overview . .. 53
FIGURE 4: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, Section 3, structural overview ... 56
x
LIST OF MUSICAL EXAMPLES
EXAMPLE 1 a: Edward Elgar, Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, "Allegromaestoso," mm. 1-6. .a. . a. .0. . . .. . . .. .. .. .8.a.a .v....24
EXAMPLE 1 b: C. Hubert H. Parry, Fugue (The Wanderer), mm. 50-54 .. 24
EXAMPLE 1c: Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 4-5 ......... ........ 24
EXAMPLE 2a: Edward Elgar, Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, "Andanteespressivo," mm. 47-49.p.......n....s.e.a.......25
EXAMPLE 2b: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 50-52 ......... .. . ...a.v25
EXAMPLE 3a: C. Hubert H. Parry, Fantasia and Fugue in G, mm. 4-5 .. 26
EXAMPLE 3b: Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 6-7 .................. 26
EXAMPLE 4a: C. Hubert H. Parry, Fantasia in G, mm. 47-50 .......... 26
EXAMPLE 4b: Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 24-27 ................ 27
EXAMPLE 5a: Charles Villiers Stanford, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F,"Allegro maestoso," mm. 109-116 ................ 27
EXAMPLE 5b: Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 7-10 .0. . . .... .. .....e27
EXAMPLE 6a: Edward Elgar, Sonata for Organ, Op. 28,"Allegretto," mm. 16-19 ......................... 28
EXAMPLE 6b: Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 29-35 ............ .. .. .. ..a28
EXAMPLE 7a: Franz Liszt, Prelude on B-A-C-H, mm. 8-9 .0. .. ....... . .a33
EXAMPLE 7b: Franz Liszt, Fantasy on 'Ad nos, ad salutaremundam", mm. 78-79 ........................... 33
EXAMPLE 7c: Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 11-12 ........ .. .. .. .. a.s33
EXAMPLE 8a: Franz Liszt, Weinen, Kagen, Sorgen, Zagen,mm. 78-79. .................... ................ 34
xi
EXAMPLE 8b:
EXAMPLE 8c:
EXAMPLE 9a:
EXAMPLE 9b:
EXAMPLE 9c:
EXAMPLE 9d:
EXAMPLE 9e:
EXAMPLE 10a
EXAMPLE 10b
EXAMPLE 11a
EXAMPLE 11b
EXAMPLE 12a
EXAMPLE 12b
EXAMPLE 13a
EXAMPLE 13b
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
EXAMPLE
13c
14a
14b
15a
15b
16a
Franz Liszt, Weinen, Kagen, Sorgen, Zagen,mm. 171-173 .................................. 34
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 33-35 ............... 35
Johannes Brahms, Fugue in A Minor, mm. 13-15 ....... 36
Johannes Brahms, Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1,mm. 228-229 ................................... 36
Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 35-37 ................ 36
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 29-32 ............... 37
Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 87-90 .................... 37
: Richard Wagner, "Trauermarsch"(G6tterdmmerung), mm. 1-3 ..................... 38
: Richard Wagner, "Trauermarsch" (Gctterd~mmerung),piano-vocal reduction, mm. 1-3 .................. 38
: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 129-132 ........... 39
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 136-138 ........... 39
: J. S. Bach, Passacaglia in C Minor, mm. 48-51 ........ 40
: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 98-100 ............ 40
: J. S. Bach, "0 Lamm Gottes, unschuldig," BWV 618,(OrgelbOchlein), mm. 1-2 ........................ 41
: J. S. Bach, Fantasy in C Minor, BWV 537,mm. 12-14 .................................... 41
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 14-19 ............. 42
: Max Reger, Passacaglia in E Minor, mm. 1-4 ......... 43
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 1-4 ................ 43
: Max Reger, Passacaglia in D Minor, mm. 8-12 ........ 44
: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 8-13 .............. 44
i: Max Reger, Passacaglia in D Minor, mm. 24-27 ....... 44
xii
EXAMPLE 16b: Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 89-92 . ... .. . . .. .. a45
EXAMPLE 17:
EXAMPLE 18:
EXAMPLE 19:
EXAMPLE 20:
EXAMPLE 21:
EXAMPLE 22:
EXAMPLE 23:
EXAMPLE 24:
EXAMPLE 25:
EXAMPLE 26:
EXAMPLE 27:
Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 1-3 .8. . . . . .. . . . .. . .. 48
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 1-8...............50
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 53-56 ............... 54
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 69-72. .. .... .. . .. m. .*55
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 73-74 ............... 55
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 80-82 ..... .. .. .. ...a56
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 104-106 ........ .. .. .58
Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm.122-124 ............ 59
Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 1-4. . ..... ..... m.m.m.a....61
Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 46-47 ....... 9....... ..... 62
Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 95-99. .. ... . . ... ........ 63
xiii
INTRODUCTION
The early musical training of Healey Willan (1880-1968) was steeped in
the English cathedral tradition of the late nineteenth century. The homophonic
textures and conservative harmonic language of Mendelssohn's organ music
(quite popular in England) set the example for subsequent generations of
English composers of organ music: Edward Elgar, Charles Hubert Hastings
Parry, Charles Villiers Stanford, Samuel Sebastian Wesley, John Stainer and
others. At the same time, the historical studies in Baroque music by Parry and
the instructional treatises of Ebenezer Prout on form, harmony, counterpoint and
fugue brought the study of contrapuntal forms to the attention of serious
musicians, Willan among them.
After a study of counterpoint and fugue, he turned to the music of
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century German composers for further insight.
Numerous articles and reviews in Musical Times between 1900 and 1915
indicate that the English possessed a knowledge of and an appreciation for the
music of Franz Liszt, Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms and Max Reger, as
well as the great organ works of J. S. Bach. A number of organ works, including
Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor, Reger's Introduction and Passacaglia, his
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E Minor, and Liszt's Weinen, Kagen,
Sorgen, Zagen, his Fantasia and Fugue on 'Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", and
his Prelude and Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H, provided techniques and
procedures that Willan would put to use in his most important organ work, the
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E-Flat Minor (1916).
1
2
Influential to a lesser degree in his composition of this work was
"Siegfried's Funeral March" in Wagner's GcOtterdmmerung: Variations XVI and
XVII of Willan's passacaglia ("quasi Marcia funebre") captured much of the
mood and tone of portions of Wagner's work through similar rhythmic and tonal
patterns. Even the indication for the organ "Tuba" stops in these variations is
reminiscent of Wagner's striking use of brass instruments in "Siegfried's Funeral
March."
The four-fold purpose of this paper is to examine the following: (1)
Willan's early training, musical environment, professional activities in England,
and the influence of the English cathedral tradition on his work; (2) the formation
of his compositional style based on a knowledge of English composers of the
time (Elgar, Parry, Stanford), as well as the Parry and Prout treatises; (3) various
German organ works (Bach, Liszt, Brahms, Reger) and works for other media
(Wagner) that would have influenced his treatment of variation and contrapuntal
procedures in his passacaglia and fugue; and (4) an analysis of the
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue to show how these diverse English and
German influences were fused into a unique style never again achieved by
Willan, or his contemporaries, in such an ambitious and virtuostic work.
CHAPTER I
HEALEY WILLAN AND THE ENGLISH CATHEDRAL TRADITION
The year 1880 saw a thriving political and social life in England. Victoria
was at the height of her reign, and the British Empire included roughly a quarter
of the world's population. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, bringing
with it an increase in jobs and financial security. Although poverty was still a
concern, there was great wealth among the upper class, and the middle class
was on the increase. The nation was at peace and enjoying great prosperity.
Equally active and on the rise was the musical scene in London. The
Philharmonic Society was a driving force in the arts, as was the concert series
at the Crystal Palace between 1865 and 1901. The performance of operas in
English gave way in the latter half of the nineteenth century to the more
fashionable preference for Italian opera. Even Wagner's Der fliegende
Hollander was translated into Italian and first performed at the Drury Lane
Theatre under the title L'olandese dannato.1 Organ recitals were quite popular,
such as those given weekly at St. Margaret's, Westminster, by Edwin H.
Lemare, which featured standard organ literature as well as transcriptions of
works for other media. Growing provincial festivals and the popularity of
oratorio were responsible for the formation of choral societies such as the Royal
Albert Hall Choral Society, organized in 1871 by Charles Gounod for the
opening of the Royal Albert Hall. Serious steps in training professional singers
1 Jack Westrup and Maude Karpeles, "England," The New Grove Dictionary of Music andMusicians, 20 vols., ed. Stanley Sadie (London: Macmillan, 1980), VI, 175.
3
- ---------
4
were taken with the establishment of the National Training School for Music in
1873 (converted in 1882 to the Royal College of Music).2
After the Eduation Act of 1870, the Anglican Church began to form
individual choir schools which provided first-class general schooling as well as
a strict and thorough training in music--especially church music. Entry into such
schools became highly desirable because nowhere else was free schooling
offered at such a high level.3
On October 12, 1880, James Healey Willan was born into this social,
political and cultural milieu. Born in Balham, Surrey, a suburb of London, he
was the only son of James Henry Burton Willan, a pharmacist, and Eleanor
Healey, an amateur pianist who had been a church organist prior to her
marriage. When young Willan was about two years old, the family moved from
Balham to Beckenham, a pleasant town in Kent. Here the Church of St. George
had a profound influence on the boy. This church, which upheld the "Anglo-
Catholic" high church traditions, had abandoned Anglican chant as a result of
the Oxford Movement. Thus the etherial sounds of plainchant were an early
aspect of liturgical music for Willan, one that would have a bearing on his music
in future years. By the time he was four, he would leave home on occasion and
walk to St. George to hear the organist, G. J. Hall, practicing the organ every
day from noon until one o'clock. When Willan's father expressed concern over
this, the rector urged him to let the boy come as often as he wished, because he
was experiencing something that no one else could provide for him.4
2 ibid., 177.
3 Godfrey Ridout, "Healey Willan," The Canadian Music Journal 3 (Spring 1959), 4.4 Frederick Robert Charles Clarke, Healey Wilan: Life and Music (Toronto: The University of
Toronto Press, 1983), 4.
5
In 1885, the same year his only sister, Mary Helen, was born, young
Willan began to study the piano with his mother and a governess, Miss De
Bruin. In later years he admitted that he could actually read music before he
ever learned to read words and seemed to be instinctively aware of which
printed note corresponded to which note on the keyboard. He discovered basic
chords long before he was aware of their names. Through his early
experiences listening to Mr. Hall practice, the organ also held a powerful
interest for the child. He was often seen sitting at the window at home and
pulling the knobs on the blinds, pretending to be pulling organ stops.5
By 1889 the Willans had once again moved, this time to Eastbourne in
Sussex, overlooking the English Channel. Here they discovered a fine choir
school associated with St. Saviour's Church. On May 1, 1889, his mother's
birthday, Willan climbed the steps of the school for the first time, "feeling as if I
were going to my execution."6 The organist, Walter Hay Sangster, gave him an
audition. First, he asked Willan to read five verses from a psalm and then gave
him an unfamiliar hymn to read at sight. The hymn tune was located on the left-
hand side of the page, while the text was on the opposite side. He was allowed
to sing the tune first without the words and then to insert them. Willan related
the next step in the audition:
"Next he gave me sort of an ear test, in which I had to singnotes dodged all over the countryside; then scales to determine thecompass of my voice. Even though I was so young, he said I had arather low voice and would probably be among the second trebles.
I thought 'Well, that's all right anyway."'7
5 Ibid., 5.6 Alec Wyton, "Reminiscences: Healey Willan in Conversation with Alec Wyton," Music 2
(December 1967), 25.7 Ibid.
6
Willan was then given the second soprano part of the final bars of S. S.
Wesley's The Wildemess to sight-read. After having easily passed these tests,
he was admitted to the school as a second soprano probationer. On Advent
Sunday, after only six months as a probationer rather than the usual twelve
months, he became a full chorister, setting a school record.8
By the age of eleven Willan had become proficient enough at the organ
to play services at St. Saviour's. The organ there was a large four-manual
instrument ("a lovely old four-decker," Willan called it) built by the Walker firm.
Reflecting on this experience, Willan had this to say:
"I frequently played for the five o'clock Evensong at St.Saviour's Church. I was a lanky kid and could reach [the pedals]easily. I used to play quite often, alternating with Dr. Sangster andhis son Stephen. Stevie was fond of bringing out a tenor melodyon the Open Diapason on the Great. Well, the Open Diapason isdamned useful, but it isn't a very good solo stop, as a rule. Wealways called the Open Diapason on the Great 'Stevie's drain pipe."'9
Along with this responsibility came the added duty of directing some of
the choir rehearsals. The older boys were naturally quite resentful of being
corrected by one so young and would often gang up on him afterward.
Eventually Willan was appointed "choir monitor," a personal representative of
the headmaster who could not be subject to any physical violence. ("Probably
saved my life," Willan was often heard to say.) From this post he was promoted
to "book boy," the person who prepared the room for choir rehearsal. Then
came school librarian, followed soon by assistant librarian at the church, and
8 Clarke, op. cit., 5.9 Wyton, op. cit., 26.
7
ultimately Doctor's boy.10 "I had to be at the church well ahead of whenever Dr.
Sangster was to play, find his places, dust the keys and prepare everything for
him so that all he had to do was sit down and doodle."1 Since the organ was a
hydraulic instrument, another of the duties was to turn on the water.
When Willan was fifteen his voice changed, but he had been so helpful to
Dr. Sangster that he was allowed to remain for an additional year. At Willan's
eventual departure, Dr. Sangster said, "Well, Willan, I'm sorry you're going. I'll
miss you. You never had a great voice, but you never missed a lead (sic)."12
After Willan left school his health deteriorated to some extent, and he
spent several months regaining his strength. During this time he engaged in
the study of strict counterpoint. He had sung polyphony and studied harmony
and counterpoint in choir school:
"I was always especially interested in counterpoint. It wasinteresting to me, the way the parts were interwoven. I got ratherbored with the one dimensional hymn tune stuff. Rather ordinary.But as soon as it became complicated, contrapuntal, then I washaving a good time. I enjoyed it immensely.. .I got fed up with doingnothing so I wrote a cantus. I forget now exactly what it was, but itembodied all the possible diatonic intervals. I worked it out in strictcounterpoint in the five species and in two, three, four, and five partsabove and below. I put the cantus in all five parts and worked it outin double counterpoint. I tried to work out every possible combination,and after that exercise which kept me occupied for many a longhour, writing counterpoint lost its terrors for me and I have alwaysenjoyed it."13
10 Clarke, op. cit., 6.11 Wyton, op. cit., 25.12 Clarke, op. cit., 7.13 Wyton, op. cit., 27.
8
It was around this time that the Willans moved once again, this time to St.
Albans, Hertfordshire, a cathedral town northeast of London. Continuing his
organ studies, Willan attempted to pass the Associateship exam offered by the
Royal College of Organists. Unfortunately, during the performance of
Schumann's Fugue in B Flat , his feet skidded on the slippery organ pedals:
"For the octave run at the end, I began on the proper octave, but Lord knows
where I finished." Six months later he planned to try again. Two nights before
he was to take the exam, he was in a home with a billiard table, and the billiard
chalk gave him an idea. Placing a piece of chalk in his pocket, he took it with
him to the exam. Outside the examination room he quickly rubbed the chalk all
over the soles of his shoes. "Then I went in and played the St. Anne Fugue
reasonably well. As I went out, I had qualms, for there were my little white
footprints all across the red carpet where I had walked in. Whether the
examiners saw them or not, I don't know, but I passed."14
In 1899 at age eighteen Willan passed the Fellowship of the Royal
College of Organists examination, the youngest candidate ever to do so. He
received his diploma from Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry and was heartily
congratulated for passing the examination the first time, a rare occurrence.
In 1900 Willan assumed a new position as organist of Christ Church at
Wanstead in northeast London. It was here that he gave the first of some thirty
organ recitals in over a dozen churches between 1900 and 1912. Often these
recitals were offered to raise money for the organ funds in the churches, and
Willan received almost no compensation for them.
14 Wyton, op. cit., 27.
9
At this time Willan also studied piano with Evelyn Howard-Jones, a
renowned authority on Brahms. His aspirations to specialize in Brahms were
sidelined by an old injury to his right elbow, but in spite of this he became a fine
pianist.
The concert scene in London had much to offer Willan in his early years.
His first encounter with orchestral music was Schumann's Symphony No. 2
conducted by August Manns at a Crystal Palace Saturday concert. Two years
later he heard the London Philharmonic Society perform Dvorak's Symphony
No. 8, and the Bach Choir in Queen's Hall perform Bach's Mass in B Minor
under Sir Walford Davies. Queen's Hall was also where he first heard
Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. One of the highlights of Willan's life came when
he was introduced to and had lunch with Arthur Nikisch, a conductor known for
his interpretations of Tchaikovsky and Wagner. Under Nikisch Willan heard
almost all of Wagner's music dramas, and these works profoundly influenced
his later compositional style.15
In 1903 Willan was selected from among 130 candidates to receive the
post of organist-choirmaster at the Church of St. John the Baptist, Holland Road,
Kensington. Embracing the Anglo-Catholic tradition, St. John the Baptist was
considered one of the most prestigious church positions in all of London. The
organ, situated in a gallery some forty feet above the floor in the north transcept,
had four manuals and thirty-three speaking stops.
On November 29, 1905, Willan married Gladys Ellen Hall, a musician
who had received her training at the Royal Academy of Music. The marriage
lasted until Gladys' death in 1964, almost sixty years.
15 Clarke, op. ci?., 9-10.
10
It was in 1906 that Willan's first important works were published. Along
with anthems, service music and chamber music came his first organ work, the
Fantasia on "Ad Coenam Agni." Along with composing and playing at St. John
the Baptist, he often played Evensong at All Saints', Margaret Street (the church
of his teacher, Dr. Hoyte). In addition to these responsibilities, he served as
organist for the Guild of All Souls and the English Church Union. For these
organizations he organized two large festivals a year, trained the choir and
conducted the music. As his part in the St. Albans Pageant in 1908, Willan
composed one of his finest organ works, the Epilogue in D Minor (published in
1909).
During this time Willan also began to work for Novello & Company, Ltd.,
one of London's largest publishing firms. He was acquainted with John E.
West, Novello's music editor, and Henry Brooke, one of Novello's financial
directors who was also a member of St. John the Baptist. From this association
Willan received occasional proof-reading assignments, several of which were
works of Edward Elgar and Charles Villiers Stanford.
In spite of these various positions, Willan did not make much money.
With his annual salary of E100 from St. John the Baptist, the small amounts he
earned as a proofreader, and no more than six to eight students at a time, his
earnings were not enough to support a growing family. When his father died in
1913, he also had to financially assist his mother and sister.
Fortunately another opportunity arose overseas. Willan's Ave verum
corpus for choir and organ, a piece composed in 1909, eventually reached
Canada where it made a profound impression on Richard Tattersall, organist of
St. Thomas' Church, Toronto, and Dr. Alexander Davies, an influential amateur
11
musician. With the deaths of two faculty members at the Toronto Conservatory
of Music, Davies mentioned Willan's name to Dr. Augustus Stephen Vogt, the
Conservatory's new principal. Excited by what he heard, Vogt sent Davies to
London to sound Willan out about coming to Toronto. When Davies returned,
Vogt invited Willan to become head of the theory department. With all the
financial problems that had beset him in England, Willan accepted. After a
painful departure from his St. John the Baptist post, he set sail for Canada in
1913, planning for his family to arrive at a later date.16
Along with numerous songs, partsongs, canticle settings, communion
settings, piano works, the dramatic cantata Cleopatra, a choral-orchestral
setting of Prospice by Robert Browning, and the symphonic poem From
Darkness Into Light, Willan had also composed several organ works, including
the Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (1908) and the Prelude and Fugue in B
Minor (1909) (See Appendix II for a complete chronological list of Willan's
organ works). Influenced by Brahms' chamber music and solo piano literature,
the symphonic works of Wagner, Tchaikovski, Strauss, and Elgar, and the
church music and songs of Stanford and Elgar, he eagerly desired to try his
hand at all forms of composition.
Willan's Prelude and Fugue in C Minor clearly illustrates his
compositional style prior to the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue. The
Prelude and Fugue in C Minor stays true to the English traditions established
earlier by Elgar and Parry. The Prelude is homophonic in style, using a mostly
diatonic vocabulary with occasional chromatic passages. Willan incorporates
several rhythmic and melodic patterns but very little counterpoint. Large block
16 Ibid., 14.
12
chords are common, as are dotted rhythms and occasional triplet figures. The
Fugue is a well-structured double fugue with the first subject appearing in the
bass, tenor, alto and soprano lines respectively. At measure 61 the second
subject appears in the key of G Minor in the soprano, alto and tenor lines. It is
not until measure 99 that the bass line presents the theme, joined by the first
subject in left-hand octaves. After a lengthy pedal point, Willan concludes in
heavy block chords heard above fragments of the first subject in double-pedal
notes. There is a total absence of stretto, augmentation and diminution.
Willan's success in England followed him to Canada, where he arrived
on August 25, 1913. Receiving an annual salary of $3,000, his position as head
of the theory department at the Toronto Conservatory of Music proved to be a
financial boon. Shortly after he arrived in Canada, he accepted the position of
Organist/Choirmaster of St. Paul's Anglican Church, Bloor Street, with an
annual salary of $1,200. Even though he had a wife, three sons, a mother and
a sister to support, this combined income of $4,200 provided a decent living by
1913 standards.
In 1914, Gladys and the three boys finally arrived in Canada. That year
also marked the beginning of Willan's position as examiner for the faculty of
music at the University of Toronto, as well as the installation of a new organ for
the Church of St. Paul's. An enormous cathedral-sized building, it was just
under construction, and Willan played his first few services in the old church
(the present parish hall) on a Steinway grand piano. Following the completion
of the building, the new Casavant organ was first heard on April 29, 1914 (see
Appendix I for a complete stop list). A magnificent instrument boasting 107
13
stops (one stop more than the organ at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in
New York City), it was likely the finest organ in Canada at that time.
It was for the St. Paul's Casavant organ in 1916 that Willan composed his
greatest organ work, the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E-Fat Minor.
With such a fine instrument at hand, he also performed numerous organ
recitals, nearly thirty by 1917. From that point on he performed at the University
of Toronto, the Toronto Conservatory of Music, and in a number of Canadian
churches.
Letters to Willan's mother indicate that he may have been looking for an
opportunity to return to England. Being among the few talents Toronto had to
offer, he no doubt missed the invigorating musical life of London. At a later
point in his life, Willan wrote:
Yonge Street then was about as interesting as an Englishvillage street. It seemed like the last place in the world for thedevelopment of music. There was an orchestra of a sort (a fewmusicians from the Toronto Conservatory Orchestra whichdisbanded at the beginning of the First World War). There werealso a few visiting artists, but the only annual event of musicalinterest was the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir Festival--about threedays of it at Massey Hall, usually in February. Even with theMendelssohn Choir, in those days one felt a dearth of music. SirRobert Falconer told me when I arrived: "You'll find a greatdifference here; it's a young country; the errand boy has not yetlearned to whistle."17
Willan was growing increasingly more dissatisfied with the evangelical or
low church Anglican tradition at St. Paul's, and in the summer of 1921 he
informed his wife that he had decided to move on if things did not improve.
Gladys had just given birth to their fourth child and only daughter, and Willan
17 Clarke, op. cit., 17
14
was concerned that all his children have a proper upbringing. He would
probably have returned to England at this point had it not been for the opening
of the organist position at the Church of St. Mary Magdalene. The rector, Fr.
Hiscocks, had collaborated with Dixon Wagner in preparing the mystical text for
Willan's choral masterpiece, An Apostrophe to the Heavenly Hosts, composed
in the summer of 1921. Fr. Hiscocks wanted St. Mary Magdalene's to be Anglo-
Catholic, and he had approached Willan earlier about helping him locate an
organist. When Willan ultimately decided to apply for the post himself, he was
hired immediately, and the two men spent an entire night making plans. Willan
was to be not only organist and choirmaster, but also precentor, a position in the
English church which consisted of absolute charge over all the music.18 He
held this position until his death in 1968. With Willan's return to the Anglo-
Catholic tradition came a renewed interest in plainsong. Here the bulk of his
service music, motets, and chorale preludes on hymns and plainchant melodies
was to be written.
He found great joy and pleasure at St. Mary Magdalene's because he
and Fr. Hiscocks appreciated the Anglo-Catholic liturgy and successfully
implemented it into the life of the church. Though the organ was much smaller
than that of St. Paul's, Willan had two choirs that were quite capable of dividing
up the musical portions of the high mass. The ritual choir, a male choir, sang all
the propers of the mass in plainsong from the chancel, while the mixed choir in
the gallery sang the ordinary of the mass and the motet a cappella from the rear
gallery.
18 Ibid., 20-21.
15
But what of the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue? Willan played the
first performance of this work on November 30, 1916, on the great Casavant
organ at St. Paul's Church, the instrument for which it had been composed.
Over the next several years it gained tremendous popularity, standing out as
possibly the greatest organ work to come from a Canadian composer. It was
performed at the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul in Montreal on February 10,
1926, in a recital of several of Willan's works. Public and critics alike received
the recital with genuine admiration and appreciation. Lawrence Mason of the
Toronto Globe wrote, "Until the advent of Dr. Willan, Canada did not possess a
creative genius of Dr. Willan's art standard, and today he stands in the front rank
among living composers." 19
The Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue went on to be recognized
throughout Canada, the United States and Europe as one of the great early
twentieth-century masterpieces for organ. Joseph Bonnet, noted French
organist, stated that Willan's Passacaglia was "one of the most significant since
Bach... .a rare and admirable composition. .. this work does the greatest honour
to the organ literature of our time." 20
19 Ibid., 25.20 Louise McCready, Canadian Portraits: Famous Musicians (Toronto: Clarke, Irwin & Co., Ltd.),
130.
CHAPTER 2
ENGLISH INFLUENCES ON HEALEY WILLAN'S COMPOSITIONAL
STYLE AND THEIR BEARING ON THE INTRODUCTION,
PASSACAGLIA AND FUGUE
Though at the end of his life Willan was affectionately referred to as the
"dean of Canadian composers," there was nothing intrinsically Canadian about
his music. Long before he moved to Canada he drew from several influences in
order to establish his own style of composition. These included works he heard
and performed as well as treatises he studied. His work as proofreader for
Novello & Company, Ltd., certainly provided him with a firsthand introduction to
the music of other English composers, and his various positions kept him
abreast of both old and new choral and organ literature. In this chapter I will
examine some of the treatises he studied as well as music of English
composers that had a bearing on the direction Willan chose to take in
composing his Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue.
Like all artists, composers are strongly influenced, especially early in
their careers, by works they have studied and performed. Willan's early organ
study no doubt had a profound effect on his compositions, especially those for
the organ. His preparatory training with Walter Hay Sangster at St. Saviour's
Choir School,, Eastbourne, not only gave him a solid foundation in service
playing but also influenced his interpretation of the works of Bach. His
16
17
advanced studies with William Stevenson Hoyte, organist of All Saints' Church,
Margaret Street, London, increased the musicality in his playing. In his later
years Willan was heard to remark, "What we need now is fewer organists and
more musicians who play the organ." 21
A look at the organ literature Willan studied between 1900 and 1923
gives a significant indication of the turn-of-the-century repertoire which was a
part of the English tradition of organ playing at the time. Willan's repertoire, as
related by Clarke, included the following:
J. S. Bach--Preludes and Fugues in C Major, D Minor, G Major, G Minor,A Major, A Minor and B Minor, Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor,Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and the Fugue in E-Flat Major ("St.Anne').
Felix Borowski--Sonata in A Minor.
Edward Elgar--transcriptions of "Prelude" and "Angel's Farewell" (Dreamof Gerontius), "Triumphal March" (Caractacus), and "Meditation"(Lux Christi).
Cesar Franck-- Cantabile and Finale in B-Flat.
Alexandre Guilmant--Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, various short pieces.
G. F. Handel--Organ Concerto No. 2; transcriptions of the overtures toRichard I, Semele, and the Occasional Oratorio.
Basil Harwood-- Sonata in C-Sharp Minor.
Alfred Hollins-- Overture in C Minor.
Engelbert Humperdinck--transcription of the "Angel Scene" from Hanselund Gretel.
Sigfried Karg-Elert--Clair de lune (copy autographed by the composer);several chorale improvisations.
21 Alec Wyton, "Healey Willan's Musical London," Music 3 (January 1968), 32.
18
Franz Liszt--Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H.
Felix Mendelssohn--Sonatas 1, 2, and 3.
W. A. Mozart--Fantasy in F Minor, K.608.
C. W. Pearce--Symphonic Poem on Corde natus.
Sergei Rachmaninoff--transcription of the Prelude in C-Sharp Minor.
Julius Reubke--Sonata in C Minor on the 94th Psalm.
Joseph Rheinberger--Sonatas 2, 6, 7, and 9.
Camille Saint-Saens--Rhapsody No. 3 in A Minor.
William Hay Sangster--Preludes and Fugues in D Minor and G Minor.
Robert Schumann--Fugue No. i in B-Flat on B-A-C-H.
Pyotr ll'yich Tchaikovsky--several transcriptions of orchestral works.
Richard Wagner--transcriptions of "Trauermarsch" (Gtterdmmerung),Prelude to Act I (Lohengrin), Prelude to Act I and Good Fridaymusic (Parsifal).
Samuel Sebastian Wesley--Choral Song and Fugue.
John West--Song of Triumph, Finale Jubilante.
Charles Marie Widor--Symphony No. 6, additional movements from othersymphonies.
Healey Willan--Preludes and Fugues in C Minor and B Minor, Epilogue,
Scherzo, and Introduction, Passacagia and Fugue.22
A glance at this repertoire list allows Clarke to draw several conclusions
regarding organ study in the English tradition during the early twentieth century:
22 Clarke, op. cit., 69-71.
19
(1) Little was known of the pre-Bach composers at this time, and they
almost never appeared on recitals.
(2) Aside from his own works, Willan made no attempt to learn
anything written after World War 1.
(3) There was a noted absence of any Vierne.
(4) Except for a smattering of Borowski, Franck, Guilmant,
Rachmaninoff, Saint-Sa~ns and Widor, the English and German
composers were the most represented.
(5) Learning and performing transcriptions of orchestral and piano
works by Elgar, Handel, Humperdinck, Pearce, Rachmaninoff,
Tchaikovsky and Wagner were a means of taking important music
to the public prior to the advent of radio, recordings, and extensive
symphonic concerts.23
These transcriptions gave Willan immediate contact with a repertoire
outside the organ and choral traditions, and with orchestral scoring, which was
then translated into organ registration.
Willan's works can be divided into four musical periods: (1) the early
years up to 1920 (art songs, chamber works, organ pieces, Variations and
Epilogue for piano, partsongs, settings of the Anglican liturgy, anthems with
organ accompaniment, some works for choir and orchestra), (2) 1921 to around
1935 (unaccompanied vocal music, including motets, missae breves and
plainsong canticles with faux-bourdon), (3) 1936 to 1949 (two symphonies, two
operas, a piano concerto, motets, songs and partsongs; almost no organ, piano
or chamber music), and (4) 1950 to 1968 (many smaller forms including organ
23 Ibid., 69.
20
chorale preludes and hymn-anthems; no symphonic works and no songs,
chamber music or piano music). In style the fourth period harks back to some of
the simpler pieces from the first period, possibly because of the enormous
demand from publishers for more and more music from Willan. The
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, the subject of this paper, is the most
ambitious and impressive work of the first period.
During Willan's formative years at the turn of the twentieth century, the
writings of two English musical scholars, Ebenezer Prout and Hubert Parry,
played an influential role in the education of young British musicians. Between
1890 and 1895, several treatises by Prout appeared in print, dealing with
musical forms, counterpoint and fugue. Though almost entirely self-educated in
music, Prout's natural talent and methodical approch to scholarship brought
him to the forefront as an authority in the area of compositional techniques.
After serving as editor of the Monthly Musical Record (1871-75) and critic for
The Academy (1874-79) and The Athenaeum (1879-89), the publication of his
treatises in the early 1890s led to his appointment as professor of music at
Trinity College, Dublin, and his honorary degree of MusD from Dublin in 1895.
His treatises dealt in detail with every aspect of their subjects, providing
illustrative musical examples drawn largely from the English tradition (Handel,
Purcell) and the German tradition (Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,
Mendelssohn, and Schumann).
As head of the theory department at the Toronto Conservatory of Music,
Healey Willan would no doubt have been quite familiar with the theoretical
works of Prout, already some twenty years in print. It could be that his first
experience with Prout may have taken place at the age of fifteen when he was
------- ---------
21
regaining strength after an illness. During Willan's self-study in all forms of
counterpoint at this time, he may have referred to assignments at the end of
chapters in the Prout treatises as he worked out the various exercises he
undertook. Willan's keen interest in form, counterpoint and the fugue probably
brought him face to face with these works on many occasions, not the least of
which would have been in the organization and composition of the Introduction,
Passacaglia and Fugue. For the purposes of this paper, a brief look at one of
these treatises is in order.
In Fugue, Prout devoted much time in individual chapters to the
discussion of the fugue subject, the answer, the countersubject, the exposition
and counter-exposition, the episode, stretto, and the middle and final sections of
a fugue. He then examined fughetta and fugato, a fugue on more than one
subject, a fugue on a chorale, and accompanied fugues. Particularly beneficial
would have been the chapter on stretto, a technique Willan used most
effectively to build momentum toward the end of the Introduction, Passacaglia
and Fugue. (Chapter 4 will provide an explanation of how this was
accomplished.) Also, in the section on variation forms in Prout's Appiled Forms,
Prout discussed the structure and variation procedures in Bach's Passacaglia
and Fugue in C Minor.24
Another influence on Willan's compositional technique was the noted
composer, scholar and teacher Sir Hubert Parry, the man who had handed him
his diploma when he became a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists in
1899. With Parry's high social position and dynamic personality, he revitalized
musical life in England at a time when it was particularly low. From the 1860s
24 Ebenezer Prout, Applied Forms (London: Augener, Ltd.), 90.
22
he published songs, liturgical music and piano music, as well as some chamber
and orchestral works. Along with contributing to the first Grove Dictionary, he
joined the staff of the Royal College of Music, succeeding John Stainer in 1900.
Several of Parry's musicological treatises had a strong impact in their
day. His survey of Baroque music, The Music of the Seventeenth Century, was
published as the third volume of the prestigious series The Oxford History of
Music in 1902. In his Johann Sebastian Bach (1909), he offered an aesthetic
and stylistic evaluation of Bach's works, including a discussion of the traditional
and the innovative features of the Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor.25
In The Art of Music (1893), he took a Darwinian approach to the evolution
of music history. His Style in Musical Art (1911) would also have been familiar
to Healey Willan at the time he composed the Introduction, Passacaglia and
Fugue. In these works he addressed several issues near to the heart of Willan.
In The Art of Music, Parry wrote:
The organ is obviously not an instrument which is capableof much expression in detail, but it is undoubtably capable ofexercising great emotional effect upon human beings, partly throughits long association with feelings which are most deeply rooted inhuman nature, and partly through the magnificent volume ofcontinuous sound that it is capable of producing.26
Except for the opening phrase of this quote, Willan would probably have agreed
with Parry. As to the idea that the organ was incapable of much expression in
detail, Willan might have qualified that statement by virtue of the fact that a good
25 Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, Johann Sebastian Bach (New York and London: G. P.Putnam's Sons), 507.
26 Charles Hubert Hastings Parry, The Art of Music (New York: Appleton, 1893), 196.
23
musician could indeed achieve great heights of expression on the organ
through judicious use of the swell pedal and a strong sense of phrasing and
rubato, lessons he probably learned in his studies with Dr. Hoyte.
Parry went on to write the following on the subject of the fugue:
The fugue form... .completely isolates the text of thediscourse, which is the principal subject; and the successiveentries of the parts necessarily make a gradual increase ofgenerall sonority. Looking at fugue from the sensational side,the human creature is made to go through successive statesof tension and relaxation; and the perfection of a great master'smanagement lies in his power to adjust the distribution of hissuccessive climaxes of sonority and complexity proportionatelyto the receptive capacities of human creatures, beginning fromdifferent points, and rising successively to different degrees ofrichness and fulness (sic).27
These ideas are certainly in evidence in Willan's fugue, as a closer examination
in Chapter 4 will illustrate.
By the time Willan assumed his post at St. Paul's in 1913, his secular
harmonic idiom was fairly well established. It included several techniques
already established by English composers such as Elgar, Parry and Stanford.
A brief look at some of these compositional devices will establish Willan's
position as a composer in the English style, as well as one of the last great
Romantic composers of organ literature.
One of the most prominent aspects of Victorian English music is the use
of large chord progressions, giving a thick, heavy texture to certain passages of
music. In Elgar's Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, this is evident in the opening bars of
the first movement (Example 1a). In Parry's Toccata and Fugue (The
27 lbid., 197.
24
Wanderer), the same device occurs at mm. 50-54 of the fugue (Example Ib).
Following a quiet mystical opening passage in Willan's introduction, large
chords occur at mm. 4-5 as a surprise element (Example 1c):
Example 1 a. Edward Elgar, Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, "Allegromaestoso," mm. 1-6.
Allego maestoss.ImI 0I Zia %m.Jm L.~
49 AD I I T 1 9 - -- - ujf_ 1 Oft--,W- AP I-Ma Did id JW dz I
Ali!7 __WF_ W A rlff MIT.111 ja vw Will, allls LIP 1111611111Zwp Jim a fr- w
cm
ANN%.
4t
WHOT' m dLmv VW
ExamphB., 1 b. C. Hubert H. Parry, Fugue (The W__ anderer) , mm. 50-54.
V 4twov-
*i,,G L i-
m 10 1 Rol", ArME NAM Til- IS
TZ AMF TIM F
Exampli.m.. 1 c. Healey Willan, Intf-oduction, mm. 4-5.
ANd
IV
Gt.tld-
Aries I AML
4
25
Another technique often used by English composers of the late
nineteenth century is a treble solo line accompanied by triplet chords in which
the final chord of one triplet is tied to the beginning chord of the next triplet. In
Elgar's Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, this device occurs in the third movement
(Example 2a). Willan follows the pattern in Variation VI of his Passacaglia, but
with two solo lines (Example 2b):
Example 2a. Edward Elgar, Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, "Andanteespressivo," mm. 47-49.
.Mit
all I
Example 2b. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 50-52.
l e :e4dt
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ AWL
UL. 44SI I __ _ __ _ __* ,
The English composers occasionally use the technique of a single-line
upward flourish connecting two chordal passages. In his Fantasia and Fugue in
G, Parry employs this idea as a dramatic touch to the opening bars of the work
(Example 3a). Willan achieves essentially the same purpose at the outset of his
" M
I
26
Introduction (Example 3b):
Example 3a. C. Hubert H. Parry, Fantasia and Fugue in G, mm. 4-5.
________ _____ __ __ 10 ML
Example 3b. Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 6-7.
Many of Willan's early works exhibit a diatonicism typical of the music of
Parry. At the conclusion of Parry's Fantasia in G, there is a diatonic passage
marked with other features of Parry's style such as solid, steady rhythm and the
use of notes and chords of anticipation (Example 4a). In mm. 24-27 of his
introduction, Willan constructs a stylistically similar passage (Example 4b):
Example 4a. C. Hubert H. Parry, Fantasia in G, mm. 47-50.
ag ir Itj iLL
a- Bid qw t+AIL BEEF- Amr-
4000%
MEF
4001= om,
- --- ------
27
Example 4b. Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 24-27.
Maestoso & 0 .kr~r.
The influence of Charles Villiers Stanford is most evident in diatonic and
chromatic uses of seventh chords, usually included to intensify the drama of a
passage. At the conclusion of the final movement of his Organ Sonata No. 1 in
F, he uses several seventh chords to dramatically propel the music to the final
cadence (Example 5a). Such chords occur in mm. 7-10 of Willan's Introduction
(Example 5b):
Example 5a. Charles Villiers Stanford, Organ Sonata No. 1 in F, "Allegrornaestoso," mm. 109-116.
~(R"U-
Example 5b. Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 7-10.POW a,~
.MMMN._ 44b AML nqmop- dMOMMir DW_ --1 00
wwwwoRft:ftiae. IF_ - f P- 6661 -a L6 4--on"Now-IF I - . __ - - A ___04 b . . =4
Mod
MF1 1
IL 11 d I I - -- - Adw F.44 1 I
Jim
Now
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IF
Raw APTO 42-do Ind
po
FellML 6 *-%.
I -,a a
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qw qw I I
I
llwm I - I p 4*brip Ip
28
Scale-wise descending pedal lines are not uncommon among the English
composers. They seem to occur most often prior to a cadence. One instance of
this device occurs in the second movement of Elgar's Sonata for Organ, Op. 28
(Example 6a). The same technique is evident in mm. 29-32 of Willan's Fugue
(Example 6b):
Example 6a. Edward Elgar, Sonata for Organ, Op. 28, "Allegretto," mm.16-19.
I ' is ow-Mww
aF a tempo, poco pi u lent-
fmlo II
ten Lea.ten p
Example. 6b. Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 29-35.
tv I
'AKT
LaiMAD I
Alk
Ar
ILIF* 11
JL
IF
-NOT
s -Elpi YXL_ T .. ... m6Lim ;jm
29
This chapter has provided a brief overview of the English influences on
Willan's compositional style. In the next chapter I will examine several German
composers whose works were not only known to Willan but whose influence
also provided a significant counterpoint, as it were, in the structuring of the
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue.
CHAPTER 3
GERMAN INFLUENCES ON THE INTRODUCTION,
PASSACAGLIA, AND FUGUE
Although English audiences were deeply moved by the works of Elgar,
Parry, Stanford, and other composers from their native land, they were
nonetheless familiar with and appreciative of the rich harmonic idiom and
complex contrapuntal style of the German Romantic school. In addition to
reviving the music of Bach through numerous public concerts, Mendelssohn
likewise found a welcome audience in London for his own works. His virtuosity,
solid rhythmic style, and diatonicism fell upon welcome ears in England and
became the model upon which much nineteenth-century English music was
based. Along with the strains of Mendelssohn, English concert halls, theaters
and churches rang out with the technically brilliant piano character pieces of
Franz Liszt, the stirring symphonies of Johannes Brahms, the larger-than-life
music dramas of Richard Wagner, the mammoth organ chorale fantasies of Max
Reger, and of course the richly contrapuntal organ works of J. S. Bach.
That Musical Times carried numerous articles on the above mentioned
composers during the early years of the twentieth century spoke clearly of the
high regard the English had for their German contemporaries. In one issue of
Musical Times, an article (no by-line) entitled "Liszt in England" chronicled
various sojourns of the renowned composer to British soil. The author states
the following:
30
31
The visits of great musicians to our shores have furnished muchinteresting material to the musical historian... .The 'King of Pianists'has not hitherto received the attention due to him in this respect,and the following... .is offered as a small contribution to the existingbiographical information concerning a great man. . .2 8
In a Musical Times review of Max Kalbeck's biography of Brahms, the
reviewer, listed only as A. J. J., made the following remarks:
. . The man's name is like his music, broadly euphonious, strongand dignified. A composer with such a name could not producetrivialities.. .Herr Kalbeck's great biography of Brahms--of whichthe first volume of 500 pages has recently been published--bidsfair to become another addition to the series of exhaustivebiographical and critical works for which German writers are noted.2 9
In a letter to Wagner published in Musical Times, Edward Dannreuther
wrote:
Nothing can excel the spontaneous response a high-classEnglish audience makes to true music. In the vast arena of the AlbertHall, at one of the afternoon concerts, six thousand persons heard afragment of the love scene from the second act of "Tristan." Perhapsnot above sixty of those present had ever heard a note of the work,or even knew of its existence. There was a rapture of silence, andwhen the last chord had died away, a burst of applause--overwhelming,irresistible. 30
Regarding the music of Max Reger, opinions on its quality were divided
depending on the work in question. In an obituary article on Reger, Harvey
Grace had this to say:
28 Musical Times 43 (April 1, 1902), 230.29 A. J. J., Musical Times 45 (July 1, 1904), 448.30 Edward Dannreuther, "Wagnerian Music in England: A Letter Written to Wagner by Edward
Dannreuither," Musical Times 45 (May 1, 1904), 302.
32
Although Reger's music is but little known in our concertrooms, he had a considerable number of admirers among Englishorganists, having long since made good his position as one of thegreatest of organ composers, in spite of the obvious inequalities ofhis work... .If he had but written half the quantity and been a keener
critic.,----.(sic)!31
In his early years of training as a musician, Willan came under the
influence of each of these composers in varying ways. In his piano study with
Evelyn Howard-Jones, a noted authority on Brahms, his technical facility would
have enabled him to study and perform the music of Brahms and Liszt. His
acquaintance with conductor Arthur Nikish brought him in contact with Wagner's
music drarnas. While he did not learn the organ works of Reger during his
studies with Sangster and Hoyte, he nevertheless became familiar with them
while attending organ recitals. An examination of a few works by these German
composers will clearly show the effect they had on Willan's style as he
composed the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue.
Liszt's phenomenal piano technique often carried over into his organ
works, even to the point of all but ignoring the pedal. In his grand Prelude and
Fugue on the Name B-A-C-H, the pedal is often used merely as an anchor for
florid manual passages and to accentuate large lengthy chords in which the
melody brings forth the B-flat-A-C-B-natural theme. In many instances there is
no pedal for measures on end as the musical interest builds on brilliant
flourishes and powerful rhythmic movement. Among the pianistic techniques
transferred to the organ are arpeggiated harmonic passages as a background
to a sustained melody. Typical examples are found in Prelude on B-A-C-H, mm.
31 Harvey Grace, 'The Late Max Reger as Organ Composer," Musical Times 57 (January-December 1916), 282.
33
8-9 (Example 7a) and Fantasy on "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam", mm. 78-79
(Example 7b). Healey Willan's Introduction contains a striking Animato
passage reminiscent of these works (Example 7c):
Example 7a. Franz Liszt, Prelude on B-A-C-H, mm. 8-9.
do - W -
Example 7b. Franz Liszt, Fantasy on "Ad nos, ad salutarem undam,"mm. 78-79.
Example 7c. Healey Willan, Intorduction, mm. 11-12.
A nomato
34
Liszt was also fond of using chromatic thirds to underscore a melody and
decorate the harmony. In his Variations on Weinen, Kiagen, Sorgen, Zagen, a
work in passacaglia form, he places the theme in right hand chords, while the
left hand accompanies with chromatic thirds (Example 8a). Later in this piece,
Liszt uses chromatic thirds to connect harmonies over the ostinato melody in the
pedal (Example 8b). Willan builds upon this same procedure in one of his
Passacaglia variations, placing the melody in the pedal and passing the
running thirds back and forth between the hands (Example 8c):
Example 8a. Franz Liszt, Variations on "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen,Zagen", mm. 78-79.
Example 8b. Franz ~I*List aitos n"enn /agn ognUP________
Example 8b. Franz Liszt, Variations on "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen,27agen", mm. 171-173,
$1 43 4 3 4 2&0 4 3 4 3 4 4.10000L Aij 1. 2 t_ g . I / Ib _ 2 1 tft-T] . 21 .4. 1 <IJTow
- _ -"'P imp
Pei jdmAWK A Aki
Ao 19- A-Now---% U -I_ low- 6n=+ ; WO I L
*#,MOP
-- Jl
R17
I I L
35
Example 8c. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 33-35.
C16r&
Through his study of the music of Brahms, Willan developed a love for
the piano. His lessons with Howard-Jones strengthened his knowledge of
Brahms' vast output of works for this instrument, and with it came a desire to
incorporate some of Brahms' techniques into his own keyboard literature.
Willan's greatest piano work, Variations and Epilogue for two pianos, and
certain chamber works (e.g. the Piano Quartet in A Minor) reveal a heavy
Brahms influence.32
One of Brahms's favorite compositional devices was the use of duplets in
one hand against triplets in the other, one of the earliest examples being found
in his Prelude and Fugue in A Minor for organ. In this example the fugue theme,
in duplets, is accompanied by countermotives using triplets (Example 9a). In
Brahms' Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1 for piano, the triplets in the right
hand provide an accompaniment for the meoldic line in the left hand (Example
9b). This level of rhythmic complexity, frequently found in the piano music of
Schumann and Brahms, was uncharacteristic of English organ music at the turn
of the century. Willan enriched the rhythmic and contrapuntal textures in his
32 Clarke, op. cit., 260.
36
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue by the inclusion of such duplet against
triplet patterns (Examples 9c, 9d and 9e):
Example 9a. Johannes Brahms, Fugue in A Minor, mm. 13-14.
Pe'.
PW
Example 9b. Johannes Brahms,mm. 228-229.
A 9100-Ii
Rhapsody in B Minor, Op. 79, No. 1,
% ItI
dism poo a poco
Example 9c. Healey Willan, Introd action, mm. 35-37.
SMA " - * q R- Ambi FO
Tulpas elmloo m -r= now-.all I 7--q T s
I I
37
Example 9d. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 29-32.
SolS
Example 9e. Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 87-90.
One of the early highlights in the life of young Willan was his meeting
over lunch with Arthur Nikisch. Even in his later years Willan maintained that
this man, who specialized in the works of Tchaikovsky and Wagner, was the
greatest conductor who had ever lived. For Willan the music dramas of Wagner
came alive under the baton of Nikisch.33 So impressed was Willan with
Wagner's music that he studied and performed several organ transcriptions of
portions of these works, including the Prelude to Act I from Lohengrin, the
Prelude to Act I and the Good Friday music from Parsifal, and the
"Trauermarsch" from Gbtterd~mmerung.34 It was this last work that had a
special impact on Willan as he composed his Introduction, Passacaglia and
33 ibid., 10.34 Ibid., 70.
I 1 101A a .
38
Fugue. In Gc"O"terd~mmerung the 'Trauiermarsch" calls for brasses and timpani
to provide block c hords in powerful during rhythms, with lower strings adding
flurries of sixteenth-note triplets on the final beat of each bar:
Example 1 Qa. Richard Wagner, "Trauermarsch" (G 0tterd~mmerung),mim. 1-3.
ffM x Tfc._ _=A _LX
~ ~ daVF
w
A piano-vocal reduction gives an overview of this passage:
Example I10b. Richard Wagner, "Trauermarsch" (Gdtterdimmerung),piano-vocal reduction, mm. 1-3.
eerlich.
d1m.!r
din 0 * 4 a
39
This extraordinarily powerful orchestral passage provided the model for
the climax to Willan's Passacaglia in Variations XVI and XVII, to be fully
discussed in Chapter 4. The orchestral block chords in the brass section are
rendered by the organ reed stops, specifically the "Tubas." The orchestral lower
string flurries are placed in the pedal line (Example 11 a) and treble line
(Example 141b). To make the derivation from the "Trauermarsch" unmistakable,
Willan labeled Variation XVI "quasi Marcia funebre" and placed a funeral march
theme in the manuals above the Passacaglia theme in the pedal:
Example 11 a. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 129-132.
Tuba. T.a II Marcia f Mebre)
Ma,
Example 11 b. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 136-138.A. I LLO.
F AMNT" E 1ft 41kc I*t i 0UaPa
The supreme model of the passacaglia was provided by Bach's great
Passacaglia in C Minor. In it may be found all the characteristics of the genre
adopted by Romantic composers, including the minor key, triple meter, eight-bar
ground bass in the pedal (probably because of the substantial pedal division in
40
the German Baroque organ), occasional location of the ground in an upper
voice, and a variation technique that includes dynamic and rhythmic increase
toward the final climax. Bach's work provided the blueprint from which
nineteenth- and early twentieth-century composers structured their own
passacaglias. The blueprint included the grouping of variations into sections
(marked by decisive changes in texture and rhythm), and the growth within
sections of textural complexity (added voices) and rhythmic activity (moving
from quarter notes to eighth notes to triplets to sixteenth notes). While Willan's
individuality is evident in his Passacaglia, he nonetheless incorporated some of
Bach's techniques along the way. One such case can be found in Variation VI
of Bach's Passacaglia where he incorporates upward-moving scalar
counterpoint-to increase the tension (Example 12a). Following Bach's lead,
Willan creates his own version of this technique in Variation XII of his
Passacaglia (Example 12b):
Example 12a. J. S. Bach, Passacaglia in C Minor, mm. 48-51.
4 ________I_#__- --
Pi loin P
MI_Example 12b. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 98.100.
-Nag- Ji- T
I Fff- T-
ri-
41
Another of Bach's favorite devices was the so-called "sigh" figure. Used
in a context of grief and mourning, this procedure consisted of a series of
duplets moving downward in the diatonic scale. Each was connected by a slur
and separated by virtue of the final note of one duplet serving as the starting
note of the next, thus creating an impression of sighing. One such example of
this technique appears in "0 Lamm Gottes, unschuldig," one of the Passiontide
chorale preludes from the Orgelbuchlein (Example 13a). In a completely
different kind of piece, the Fantasy in C Minor, the same device is used in mm.
12-14 (Example 13b). In Variation II of Willan's Passacaglia, he creates his own
sigh figures which seem to foreshadow the funeral march in Variations XVI and
XVII (Example 13c):
Example 13a. J. S. Bach, "0 Lamm Gottes, unschuldig", BWV 618(OrgelbOchlein), mm. 1-2.
Example 13b. J. S. Bach, Fantasy in C Minor, BWV 537, mm. 12-14.
-D-1 IAJ-ljlj fit 11 1=doArl-
"MrLALVId
dmL--!:17
MONNOWNWA
WMWAM=
0, T
I
42
Example 13c. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 14-19.
The most immediate German influence on the style and compositional
techniques in Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue came from the
organ music of Max Reger, which was becoming familiar to English organists in
the decades after 1900. Reger considered the organ a concert instrument of the
highest caliber and felt compelled to carry on the traditions of Bach,
Mendelssohn and Liszt. His enormous output of organ music made him the
most important German organ composer since Bach. In Reger's organ music
the contrapuntal techniques of Bach and the virtuoso rhetorical flourishes of
Liszt were blended to produce monumental toccatas, fantasias, fugues and
passacaglias. With the influence of Liszt's symphonic poems appearing in
Reger's enormous chorale fantasies, it was only natural that Willan should be
drawn to Reger's music. Reger's own passacaglias served as models for Willan
as he set out to compose his own. One similarity, probably an innovation of
Reger's, is readily apparent in the Passacaglia theme: the use of phrase
markings. This is certainly a characteristic which Romantic composers would
have added to Bach's model. In his Introduction, Passacagia and Fugue in E
Minor, Reger separates two closely related rhythmic patterns with phrase
indications (Example 14a). Willan follows this guideline in his own Passacaglia
theme (Example 14b):
43
Example 14a. Max Reger, Passacaglia in E Minor, mm. 1-4.
A101to jpIr'I'
Example 14b. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 1-4.p CL. to Pd. wlt stt Is
Reger's early Introduction and Passacaglia in D Minor follows the plan of
Bach's Passacaglia in C Minor in the gradual rhythmic acceleration and textural
thickening throughout the variations to achieve intensification and climax.
Since this Introduction and Passacaglia is a possible model for Willan's
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, it will be performed in this lecture recital
as a prelude to the Willan work.
Reger's Introduction, though brief, is rich in harmonic complexity and
rhetorical gestures. In the space of a few measures are found dotted rhythms,
scalar flourishes, motivic imitation, and writhing chromatic progressions
mounting to a thundering climax on the full organ. The dotted rhythms from the
Introduction reappear at the close of the Passacaglia.
The first four variations of the Passacaglia follow the Bach plan of
rhythmic acceleration, from eighth notes to triplets to sixteenth notes. The
opening variation is set with two contrapuntal lines above the ground bass in
the pedal (Example 15a). WillIan uses this same device in his first passacaglia
variation, but he takes the procedure one step further by incorporating a canon
at the sixth between the pedal and the right hand (Example 15b):
Example 15a. Max Reger, Passacaglia in D Minor, mm. 8-12.U.aSu
Example 15b. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 8-13.
The third variation of Reger's Passacaglia in D Minor introduces triplets
in a three-voice contrapuntal texture over the pedal theme, moving in
occasional thirds and sixths (Example 1 6a). Willan's Variation Xl harks back to
the same technique, adding his own touches that include an independent bass
line and the passacaglia theme (highlighted with stress indications) passing
through all four voices (Example 16b):
Example I16a. Max Reger, Passacagila in D Minor, mm. 24-27.
A -.- - Am we%" A 00"9
INK I- I I
"=pro ILPAOM **"MOW-
pk? P. "Wool 14
rin 4tM-AL Ak -mv pw"
v
44
m~am> Il~VIP
9!V ---Ff
v
45
Example 16b. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 89-92.
IqwXI
The fourth variation presents a motive in sixteenth notes in a thin three-
voice texture. From the fifth variation on, Reger departs from the Bach model of
independent contrapuntal voices and introduces alternating chord patterns,
arpeggiated chords and scalar flourishes, all from the virtuoso repertoire of
Liszt.
What Reger did not include in his early Introduction and Passacaglia, he
more than made up for in his late Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E
Minor, Op. 127, which ran on to 26 variations, a veritable catalogue of variation
techniques and devices. The turgid textures and hyper-chromatic harmonic
language of this piece may have been known to Willan, but in his own
Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Willan tempered the excesses of Reger's
late Romantic style with the more conservative English harmonic language of
his generation.
Just as Willan elicited certain techniques from the English tradition, he
drew from rich German resources in the structuring of his Introduction,
Passacaglia and Fugue. In the fourth and final chapter of this paper I will offer a
stylistic analysis, examining the fusion of these styles as well as the original
contributions Willan made to the genre of organ music.
CHAPTER 4
THE INTRODUCTION, PASSACAGLiA AND
FUGUE: AN ANALYSIS
In 1916 the new four-manual romantic Casavant organ of 100-plus ranks
had only recently been installed at St. Paul's Anglican Church, Toronto, and at
the age of thirty-six Willan composed the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue
with this organ in mind. He liked to tell two stories concerning the origin of this
piece. The challenge of composing it arose following a recital Willan attended
with his old friend Dalton Baker. On the program was one of Reger's
Passacaglias (sources vary as to whether it was the Passacaglia in D Minor or
the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E Minor). Afterward Baker made the
statement to Willan that only a German philosophical mind could conceive of
such a work, to which Willan repled, "To hell with your German philosophical
mind--it's a reasonable piece of thinking--that's all." 35 On the way home that
night he proceeded to work out his own passacaglia theme.
The second story involved the actual composing of the piece. The
Willans owned a summer cottage sixty miles north of Toronto at Jackson's Point.
Each summer Willan spent the weekdays there, riding the inter-urban tram both
ways. During the early summer of 1916, Willan wrote one variation of the
passacaglia going up and one returning. When he decided he had composed
35 Joylin Campbell-Yuk, "Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue," The American OrganistVol. 14 No. 10 (October 1980), 39.
46
47
enough variations, he wrote the Introduction and then the Fugue, completing
the entire work on July 20, 1916.36
The fact that sketches in E minor exist of the arpeggiated "Animato"
section of the Introduction, as well as Variation X of the Passacaglia, suggests
that Willan may have originally intended for the piece to be in the key of E
Minor, making it easier to read. At the time of its composition, however, Willan
was studying Rheinberger's Sonata No. 6 in E-Flat Minor, which may account
for his ultimate choice of key.37
A veritable melting pot of English and German compositional devices,
this piece nonetheless possesses a strong sense of unity and stability. The
remainder of this chapter will examine how Willan succeeded in combining
techniques learned from other composers with original touches of his own,
yielding a cohesive and magnificent whole.
The Introduction
Figure 1 offers a brief overview of the various characteristics of the
Introduction:
36 Ibid.37 Clarke, op. cit., 180.
48
Figure 1. Healey Willan, Introduction, structural overview.
Section Measures Tem Dymanics Compositional Devices Possible InfluencesI V-3 Adagio pianissimo "mystical" chords, downward Liszt, Wagner
chromaticpel line2 4-10 no change fortissimo dotted rhythms; single-line Bach, Parry, Stanford
flourish; block chords withseveral 7ths
3 11-17 Animato mezzo forte homophonic with pianistic Liszt________ apeggos
4 18-23 no change same, plus imitative entries; homophonic RegerDiapasons 8' recitative syle
5 24-32 Maestoso fortissimo enharmonic key change to B Parrymajor, homophonic with
anticipatory chords6 33-41 no change same, plus triplet chords in manuals, Brahms
Tubas in L.h. duplet notes in pedal7 42-44 (Adagio) pianissimo "mystical" chords, downward Liszt, Wagner
chromatic pedal line (as innmm. 1-3)
Though rhapsodic and improvisational in nature, the seven stylistically
varied sections of the Introduction merge successfully into a logical unit. Indeed
the Introduction seems to live up to its name: it succinctly introduces the diverse
moods that pervade the Passacaglia and Fugue.
Measures 1-3 ("Adagio," pianissimo) form a series of "mystical" chords
heard on the softest stops on the organ above a descending chromatic line on a
soft 32' stop in the pedal (Example 17). The shift to the tonic root of each new
chord by thirds is a device used often by Liszt and Wagner, and occasionally by
Brahms:
Example 17. Healey Willan, Introduction, mm. 1-3.Adagio
b M e. ih s
49
Measures 4-10 (same tempo, fortissimo) begin in dotted rhythms,
continue with a fantasia-like flourish reminiscent of Parry, and conclude with
block chords containing some sevenths in the style of Stanford. The fortissimo
marking suggests full organ to mixtures, calling for the addition of reeds on beat
2 of measure 7.
Measures 11-17 ("Animato," mezzoforte) consist of homophonic,
arpeggiated chords in sixteenth and thirty-second notes in the pianistic style of
Liszt. The mezzoforte marking suggests a full registration without reeds and
mixtures.
Measures 18-23 (same tempo, adding Diapasons to the mezzoforte
registration) begin with imitative entries in sixteenth notes at the soprano, alto
and bass levels, proceeding to homophonic chords with some chromatic
movement. The use of imitative entries at the octave harks back to some of the
works of Reger.
Measures 24-32 ("Maestoso," fortissimo) are basically homophonic with
strong rhythmic drive in the style of Parry, and the key change to B Major is
prepared through an enharmonic E-flat (D-sharp) chord in measure 23.
Modulation back to E-flat Minor occurs through an enharmonic common tone:
G-sharp (B Major) becomes A-flat (E-flat Minor) in measure 29, beat 4.
Registration returns to full organ to mixtures.
Measures 33-41 (same tempo, adding Tubas to the left-hand registration)
recall the block chords and downward chromatic pedal progression of the
opening bars of the Introduction, followed by some of the most Brahmsian
duplet-against-triplet figures in the entire work. A downward spiraling pianistic
section (mm. 38-39) links up with the concluding bars of this section. The keys
50
of the block chords are determined by the downward movement of the
chromatic pedal passage.
Measures 42-44 (pianissimo) returns to the "mystical" chord structure and
chromatic pedal movement of measures 1-3, and the introduction concludes as
it began.
The Passacaglia
The eight-measure ground bass around which the Passacaglia is
structured (Example 18) has at least two characteristics which set it apart from
those that preceded it. Firstly, it begins and ends on the dominant. The ground
of Bach's great C Minor Passacaglia begins and ends on the tonic, and Reger's
D Minor and E Minor passacaglias begin on the dominant and end on the tonic.
But to use the dominant to both open and close the theme may have been an
innovation with Willan. Secondly, the use of a hemiola at the conclusion of the
ground, another novelty, adds rhythmic interest to the subsequent variations:
Example 18. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 1-8.
P CL.to P&-withsoft as.
The eighteen variations of the Passacaglia are extremely diverse,
ranging from pure counterpoint to creative configurations in the manuals. They
may be divided into three large sections. Figure 2 offers an overview of various
characteristics of Section 1 of Willan's Passacaglia:
51
Figure 2. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, Section 1, structural overview.
Variation Measures Tempo Dynamics Compositional Devices Possible Influences8-16 J1=66 piano 3 voices, canon at the Reger
sixth; theme in pedalII 16-24 same same, adding 4-5 voices; "sigh" figures; Bach
Celeste halfway theme in pedalthroug__
I 24-32 same same, w. l.h. solo line; r.h. chords w. Brahmsmezzo forte parallel octaves; duplets
solo line against triplets; theme inpedal
IV 32-40 same same, w. Ch. 8' sixteenth-note running Lisztand 4' thirds alternating between
manuals; theme in pedalV 40-48 same same, w. Sw. octave doubling; duplets Brahms
to Ch. against triplets; occasionalsolo;_theme in medal
Section 1. The opening section of this Passacaglia consists of
Variations I through V, and their purpose is to establish the traditional rhythmic
and textural crescendo of a passacaglia. The metronomic marking is "quarter
note equals 66", and it remains so throughout this section.
Variation I is a canon at the sixth between the pedal and the right hand
two beats apart. Intervallic relationships are tonal (occasionally minor instead
of major), but the steps are true. The left hand accompanies the right
contrapuntally but is not related to the theme. The registration indication is
Choir soft 8'.
Variation 11 consists of a series of "sigh" figures in thirds and sixths.
These appear in the manuals above the passacaglia theme in the pedal.
Bach's influence is evident in this traditional technique. The texture increases
to four and eventually five voices. This variation opens on the Swell soft 8'
Lieblich. At the midpoint of this variation, there is a change in registration with
the addition of an 8' celeste, a striking color detail.
52
In Variation IlIl Willan makes use of a contrasting mezzoforte solo line in
the left hand against the theme in the pedal, with contrapuntal voices in the right
hand. Alternation between duplets and triplets adds subtle tension to the
development of the piece. Octave doublings in the right-hand chords add
density to the texture.
Rhythms and textures continue to increase in Variation IV with the
addition of sixteenth-note running thirds alternating between two contrasting
manuals, a pianistic device used often by Liszt. These figures are heard
against thick three- and four-note chords in the other hand. In the second
measure of this variation, the registration in the right hand calls for Choir 8' and
4', while the left hand remains on the Swell with no change. Up to now each
variation has dovetailed into the next one, but here all voices cadence on an
augmented mediant chord.
To complete this section, Variation V returns to the contrasting duplets
and triplets of Variation Ill. The mostly descending triplets in this variation serve
as a portent of things to come in future variations. A unique feature of this
variation is enharmonic alterations in mm. 44-47 of the pedal theme which
correspond with a transient modulation to G-sharp Minor in the manuals,
returning at the conclusion of the variation to E-flat Minor. Both hands now play
on the Choir with the Swell coupled to it, creating a slight increase in volume.
Figure 3 provides an overview of Section 2 of the Passacaglia:
53
Figure 3. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, Section 2, structural overview.
Variation Measures Tempo Dynamics Compositional Devices Possible InfluencesVI 48-56 same piano use of 3 manuals w. r.h. on Sw. Tchaikovsky, Elgar
and "thumbing" on Gr.; 4 distincttone colors; theme in soprano line
VII 56-64 same pianissimo accented passing tones on beat 1 Brahmsof each in.; descending figure of
two eighths/two quartersthroughout; theme in pedal
VIII 64-72 , =72 piano eighth-note thirds exchanged Lisztbetween manuals; theme in pedal
IX 72-80 = 88 piano pianistic thirds on beats 1 & 2 of Liszteach in. derived from preceding
variation;_theme in pedal
X 80-88 . =96 piano rolled chords on 8' Harp stops in Liszt, Wagnerl.h.; r.h. augmenting w. sixteenth-
note chords; sixty-fourth-noteflourishes; downward progression
by thirds;_theme in pedal
Section 2. This portion of the Passacaglia includes Variations VI through
X and creates a larger rhythmic crescendo with no increase in dynamics. There
is no change in metronomic marking.
Variation VI offers perhaps another innovation in passacaglia variations:
four distinct layers of activity created by the use of three separate manuals and
pedal. By dividing the right hand between two manuals through an ingenious
use of a "thumbed" line, four distinct tone colors pervade this variation: the 8'
Vox Humana and sub coupler (placing this line at 16' and 8' pitch), an 8' stop
on the Great (played by the right hand thumb), an accompanying 8' combination
on the Choir, and matching 16' and 8' stops on the Pedal. Willan's fascination
with the symphonic idioms of Tchaikovsky may account for the richness of
melody, timbre and rhythm. The theme, slightly ornamented, leaps into the
upper voice, with the right hand thumb providing a second contrapuntal line in
54
the alto. The left hand underscores the right hand with triplet chords, and the
pedal adds a bass line alternating between chromatic and diatonic steps.
Unlike the other variations, there is a strong feeling of G-flat Major here:
Example 19. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 53-56.
F
Echo or
omit*oft-,AJR 6 00-0= I t ®RAr -Imin
I d.
Following this delightful change of pace, the theme of Variation VII
returns to the pedal where it will remain for the rest of this section. Recalling the
chordal structure of Variation Ill, this passage makes use of accented passing
tones on the first beat of each bar. Another rhythmic acceleration begins here,
utilizing a four-note descending motive consisting of two eighth notes and two
quarter notes to create dissonance on the main beat. The registration indication
is to play on either the Echo or the Swell at a pianissimo level. A brief left-hand
Reed 8' solo (mm. 58-60) recalls the extended solo in Variation III.
In Variation Vill Willan increases the metronomic marking for the first time
to "quarter note equals 72". The dynamic marking is piano, suggesting
contrasting soft stops on the Choir and the Swell. An exchange of eighth-note
thirds between the manuals places appoggiaturas on the second and third
beats of each measure, resolving upward in half steps. The ostinato pattern of
I
55
"eighth rest/three eighth notes/quarter rest" occurring in imitation at the
beginning of the variation is altered at measure 71 when Willan drops the
quarter rest (Example 20). The result is an upward rhythmic accelerando into
the next variation:
Example 20. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 69-72.
Variation IX begins what may be termed a "scherzo" section. With an
increased metronomic marking of "quarter note equals 88" and a rhythmic
increase to sixteenth notes, the mood of the piece changes abruptly. Willan's
suggested registration of 16', 8' and 2' on the Swell or Choir adds a sparkle to
changes in rhythm and tempo (Example 21). The pianistic thirds on beats one
and two are derived from those in the preceding variation:
Example 21. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 73-74.
0 4t. _ -w
W L ____________
#go r LLL 'I -. =
I E - - . - - -- I I m
Tim -161 F A r No
pn*
ly
-dmL
A
56
In Variation X the tempo is increased to "quarter note equals 96." The
influence of the large St. Paul's organ is evident in the registration on the Great
manual: "8' (or Harps)." The chords on the second half of each beat in the left
hand are rolled to enhance the use of the harp stops, and the sixteenth-note
figures in the right hand contrast nicely with the harp chords. Interspersed
between passages of this nature are ascending sixty-fourth-note flourishes
which rise to the start of the next harp passage (Example 22). The downward
progression of each chord by thirds is reminiscent of the style of Liszt:
Example 22. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 80-82.
Job- Pm.IF Iff Fir WE
jE
o dad**romp. -all
I M"
K hi K
OL P so (or C316wo I I j
Figure 4 presents an overview of the third and final passacaglia section:
Figure 4. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, Section 3, structural overview.Variation Measures Tempo Dynamics Compositional Devices Possible Influences
XI 88-96 J.# 58 mezzo meter change to 9/8; use of Bach, Regerforte triplets; theme spread
throughout all four voicesXUI 96-104 =76 slight sixteenth-note contrapuntal Bach
increase lines; theme in pedal w. passingtones
XIII 104-112 . =88 forte, w. alternating chords between Lisztfull Swell hands w. single notes in 4-note
ascending figures; pianisticchromatic movement; 7th
chords; theme in pedalXIV 112-120 same; forte, 2 thirty-second notes rising to Brahms
m.116 adding to an eighth note; pianistic style;becomes Great theme in pedal
aqmente
XV 120-128 =116 fortissimo "galIoping" figures of sixteenth Brahmsnote to eighth note;
interspersed Tuba fanfares;pedal theme altered to include
displaced octave repeats on halfnotes
57
Figure 4 (continued).
Variation Measures Tempo Dynamics Compositional Devices Possible InfluencesXVI 128-136 J =72 fortissimo block chords on Tubas; broken Wagner
"quasi theme in pedal, w. sixteenth-Marcia note flourished between largerfunebre" intervals
XVII 136-153 same fortissimo block chords on Tubas in1.h.; Wagnerto piano upward moving glissandos in
n., replaced halfway withchords echoing Tubas; theme inpedal; 9-bar episode extensionreturning to soft registration
XVIII 153-165 1 =60 piano (on quasi Chorale in E-flat major, Willan choralSwell or warm soprano line and parts; motets, RegerEcho) theme in pedal in broken
phrases; leads into FugueXIX 94-107 of T =60 fortissimo occurs after Fugue; large block Reger
(Coda Fugue to full chords w. canon at the sixth inafter organ soprano, as in Var. I; theme in
eFugue)dpedal
Section 3. Up to now the increase in tension has been brought about by
changes in rhythm and/or texture, and registrations have remained relatively
light and controlled. In Variation Xl, for the first time, there is a mezzoforte
marking with Diapasons on the Great manual, and the tempo drops back to
"dotted quarter equals 58". Here begins the final push toward the climax. The
meter shifts to 9/8 time, making the triplets clearer to the eye. At this point Willan
adds another innovation to passacaglia writing by spreading the theme through
all four voices. Each note of the theme is indicated by a stress mark (please
refer back to Example 16b). The four contrapuntal lines create a harmonic
interplay reminiscent of Variation Ill of Reger's D Minor Passacaglia.
The tempo increases to "quarter note equals 76" in Variation XII, and the
contrapuntal lines are now comprised of sixteenth notes. The registration is
increased by the addition of Principal stops to the Great. The theme returns to
the pedal with sixteenth-note flourishes between each descending fifth. The
58
counterpoint harks back to Variation VI of Bach's Passacagia in C Minor.
Variation X111 moves the piece forward by a tempo increase to "quarter
note equals 88" and a registration increase which adds a reed in the pedal and
full stops on the Swell. The sixteenth-note contrapuntal lines of Variation Xll are
transformed here into an ascending pattern of chords alternating with single
notes in a chromatic progression suggestive of Liszt (Example 23). The top
notes of the left hand combined with the bottom notes of the right hand create
the same four-note ascending patten that occurs in Variation XII:
Example 23. Healey Willan. Passacaglia, mm. 104-106.
In Variation XIV the registration on the Great is increased, and a new
rhythmic figure is introduced: two thirty-second notes rising to an eighth note,
thus increasing both the rhythmic and melodic tension. The registration
heightens the rhythmic interest by adding stops to the Great. The full-voiced
pianistic style in the manuals is reminiscent of Brahms. Midway through the
variation Willan inserts a largamente which builds the tension by holding back.
In Variation XV the excitement grows by virtue of an increase in dynamics
to fortissimo, a Brahmsian galloping repeated rhythmic figure of a sixteenth note
to an eighth note, and the quickest tempo yet (quarter note equals 116). There
is a marvelous interplay between the fortissimo on the Great and several
interspersed four-note fanfares heard on the Tubas (Example 24) . The pedal
59
theme is altered to include displaced octave repeated notes on all the half
notes, adding to the powerful momentum leading up to the climax of the
Passacaglia:
Example 24. Healey Willan, Passacaglia, mm. 122-124.
The rallentando and extended Tuba fanfare in the last measure of the
previous variation prepare the listener for the climax beginning in Variation XVI.
With the indication "quasi Marcia funebre" and a tempo indication of "quarter
note equals 72", there is a powerful solemnity here that is reminiscent of the
opening bars of the "Trauermarsch" from Wagner's Gdtterdmmerung.
Consisting of block chords heard entirely on the Tubas underscored by a
broken theme in the pedal, this variation is intensified by sixteenth-note
flourishes in the pedal between the larger intervals.
Variation XVII, the actual climactic variation, is an extension of XVI.
Willan places the Wagnerian block chords on the Tubas entirely in the left hand
and accompanies them with scale flourishes in the right hand. After the first four
measures, the scales are replaced with fanfare chords echoing those heard on
the Tubas. This variation is extended by an eight-measure episode, the sole
purpose of which is to bring the entire passacaglia to its highest dynamic level
F T Mkit I-
0 af 0go Litt It b --- --i 1 2 i I r I i - -
A -I- dw -- T I
Tub" OL
It I - - - I I --Wk'04 A ip i rm - i it I
I y m a a JILAmL- a
I
60
and then to gradually diminish to a much softer level at the fermata in measure
153.
Variation XVIII, a "quasi Chorale" in E-flat Major, resembles some of
Willan's lovely a cappella choral motets, with its warm soprano line and equally
sensitive underscoring parts. It places the theme in the pedal in broken phrases
with the serene Chorale played on an Echo manual if possible (another
characteristic of the Casavant at St. Paul's). This passage serves as a calm
interlude leading up to the Fugue, much like a quiet section precedes the fugue
in Reger's great chorale fantasy Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme. It concludes
on the dominant, leading effectively into the Fugue.
Since Variation XIX actually concludes the Fugue, it will be discussed at
that point.
The Fugue
As Willan stated, he lost his fear of contrapuntal writing at the age of
sixteen when he embarked on a private study of the craft. Nowhere was this
more evident than when he composed the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue
twenty years later. Willan not only composed a technically correct fugue, but by
expanding the use of stretto to cover most of the latter part of the work, he
established a powerful technical and emotional momentum reminiscent of the
great fugues which conclude Reger's chorale fantasies.
Like the passacaglia, this fugue may be divided into three distinct
sections:
Section 1 mm. 1-34 (exposition)Section 2 mm. 34-61 (development through stretto)Section 3 mm. 61-94 (recapitulation including stretto)Coda mm. 94-107 (Variation XIX of Passacaglia)
61
The subject is based on the first five notes of the passacaglia:
Example 25. Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 1-4.
t. Dwpa. amw. mplw&4
Section 1. The registration at the outset of the Fugue lists Diapasons 8'
with manuals coupled. The four voices enter in the order of soprano, alto, tenor,
and bass (pedal). The entire subject is heard in each voice, with tonal answers
at the dominant. There is no true countersubject. Instead of cadencing in the
relative major key of G-flat, Willan effectively settles first into D-flat Major in
measure 17 with an entrance of the subject in the tenor, followed by a tonal
answer in the bass at measure 19. At measure 23 Willan finally arrives at the
more traditional G-flat Major with a soprano entrance, which is heightened by
adding stops to the Great. This passage is followed by an episode cadencing in
measure 34 on B-flat Minor.
Section 2. Here begins an elaborate series of stretti which steadily
increases the fugue's momentum. This may be labeled a development section
because it involves only fragments of the subject in various keys. The dynamic
marking of forte suggests the addition of stops, possibly to the 2' level. On beat
2 of measure 34 the first two measures of the subject appear in the key of B-flat
Minor, with the original first half note becoming a quarter note. Stretto
entrances are four beats apart in the order of soprano, alto and tenor. At
measure 38 a new series of stretti occurs in the key of E-flat Minor in the order of
bass, tenor, alto and soprano. A short episode cadences in measure 46 on the
dominant of B-flat Minor. The stretti intensify on beat 2 of measure 46 with a
62
soprano entrance in B-flat Minor, followed two beats later by a tenor entrance
(Example 26). The use of sixteenth-note counterpoint, an animato indication,
an increase in registration and a more chromatic harmony serve to build
energy:
Example 26. Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 46-47.
asimate
A tenor entrance of the shortened subject occurs without stretto at
measure 50 in E-flat Minor. In measure 54 a soprano entrance in D-flat Major
begins on beat two, followed on beat 4 by an alto subject in stretto modified to
allow for the use of thirds between the two parts. A modulatory episode follows,
leading to a return to the original key of E-flat Minor, and a largamente
indication in the last measure sets up the new tempo of the Recapitulation.
Section 3. As the Recapitulation begins ("Maestoso", fortissimo in the
Pedal), the first note of the subject returns to the original half-note value in the
pedal, and all but the last four notes of the subject are in place. Two beats after
the pedal entrance, the theme is heard in stretto in the soprano line, and a
contrapuntal episode in fantasia style reaches a cadence on the dominant at
measure 69.
A sustained B-flat pedal point connects measure 69 with the concluding
passage of the recapitulation. Returning to the 3/4 meter of the passacaglia at
63
measure 70, there follows an "Animato" section, a spritely and joyous romp
through the key of E-flat Major. The subject is shortened to five quarter notes.
The tenor begins a stretto, followed two beats later by the alto in a mirror
inversion. Four beats after the alto entrance, the soprano imitates the subject
on the dominant. On beat 2 of measure 76, the tenor states the first five notes of
the subject on the Tubas, followed by a series of harmonic extensions based on
this five-note motive. The rhythm shifts to duplets against triplets, adding a
whirlwind of counterpoint to the various motives heard in octaves on the Tubas,
and the recapitulation cadences on the dominant to set up the Coda.
Coda. This final variation of the Passacaglia ("Nobilmente") is the climax
to the entire piece. The registration calls for full pedal with Tubas (playing in
octaves) and full Great and Swell on the manuals in large block chords
(Example 27). This variation is a large-scale version of Variation I, utilizing a
canon at the sixth between the pedal and the soprano:
Example 27. Healey Willan, Fugue, mm. 95-99.
Nob0Wm*nt
U I I I I '
A countermelody begins in measure 99 on the Tubas (see above), and
the final five bars complete the climax, adding Full Organ on beat 3 of measure
104 and slowing to "Adagio" on the last two bars.
CONCLUSION
In this paper I have examined the works of several English and German
composers to show how Willan elicited different techniques from each in the
structuring of his Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue. While these various
influences on Willan's compositional skills are significant, their discussion is not
intended to detract from his own individuality as a composer. Ultimately he
managed to incorporate a number of techniques from the German Romantic
school of composition without losing sight of his English roots.
In the relatively short space of his Introduction he effectively combined
chordal writing with single-line flourishes and imitative counterpoint. There is a
rich harmonic vocabulary which occasionally surpasses his earlier English
models. While several aspects of other composers are present, Willan
effectively fuses them into a work of his own creation.
Equally important are the innovations he made in the passacaglia as a
genre. In a brief summary they are:
(1) beginning and ending the theme on the dominant.
(2) the use of hemiola at the conclusion of the theme.
(3) change in registration midway through a variation (11).
(4) enharmonic alterations of the theme to correspond with harmonies inthe manuals (V).
(5) the use of four distinct lines of counterpoint and coloration created byusing all three manuals at once (VI).
(6) spreading the theme through all four voices (XI).
64
65
(7) dividing the passacaglia so that the final variation occurs as theconclusion of the fugue (XIX).
In the exposition of the Fugue Willan incorporated a modulation from
E-flat Minor down to D-flat Major before moving to the more traditional relative
major key of G-flat. He also used stretto to a greater extent than many of his
English or German models, resulting in a tight construction and an emotional
momentum not always found in fugal writing.
With these particular devices Willan placed his own stamp of individuality
on organ music, setting an example for generations of composers to come,
including Seth Bingham (Passacaglia), Alec Rowley (ntroduction and
Variations on a Ground Bass), Leo Sowerby (Symphony in G), Virgil
Thomson (Passacaglia), and Searle Wright (introduction, Passacaglia and
Fugue).
Many scholars consider Willan to be one of the last Romantics, a
conservative composer who found himself in the middle of a major musical
revolution. While more progressive composers were moving in new directions,
Willan chose to stay with what he knew. At the radio premiere of his opera
Dierdre in 1946, he was heard to say that he regarded himself as "a musician
who rather likes to compose--and has a good time doing it." Because ideas
often came quickly to him, he usually composed with equal speed and facility.
Nevertheless, he could spend great quantities of time in revision, taking ten
minutes to jot down a motet and several hours fleshing it out. Once a piece was
completed, he preferred to forget it, allowing it to succeed or fail on its own
merits.
66
Though hardly a progressive composer, Willan allowed his students to
use more contemporary idioms. If he felt that a student was well suited to a
particular method of composition, that student was allowed to pursue it even if
Willan himself did not prefer to do so.
In the fifty-two years that remained of his life, Willan never again
attempted to compose such a large-scale work for the organ. Perhaps, having
expended so great an amount of energy and skill in the structuring of this work,
he hesitated to make another attempt on such a demanding level. It is also
possible that, having left the position at St. Paul's, he lost his desire to compose
for that instrument. More likely is the scenario that the new position at St. Mary
Magdalene's, with its two choirs, smaller organ and solid Anglo-Catholic
emphasis, made new demands on him as a composer.
Nevertheless, the introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue remains one of
the great early twentieth-century organ works. Through the incorporation of
stylistic elements and compositional procedures from German organ music into
the English organ style, Willan produced a monumental work not equaled by his
English contemporaries.
APPENDIX I
Stop List for the Casavant Organ, St. Paul's
Anglican Church, Bloor Street, Toronto
(originally built in 1914)
This is the organ for which the Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue was
written. The following specifications are those of the revision of 1956.
Disposition is essentially the same as the original with the addition of some
mixtures and a subtraction of a 10 2/3' Quint Trombone on the Pedal and a
mixture of a flatted seventh on the Great. Willan, however, did not appreciate
the updating of the organ.38
Great Organ
1i. Gross Geigen.......................................................16'2. D iapason I.............................................................. . 8'3. D iapason 11................................................................ 8'4. Geigen Principal....................................................8'5. W aldfl6te................................................................. . 8'6. Rohrfl6te................................................................. . 8'7. Spitzfl6te............................................................... . 8'8. Q uintfl6te...............................................................5 1/3'9. O ctave.................................................................... . 4 '10. Geigenoctave.......................................................4'11. Flute Triangulaire.................................................4'12. Flute Couverte......................................................4'13. Octave Quint.......................................................2 2/3'14. Superoctave.........................................................2'15. Foum iture...........................................................1 1/3'16. C ym bal................................................................... 1/2'
38 Joylin Carnpbell-YukI, Healey Willan: The Independent Organ Works, DMA dissertation(University of Missouri, Kansas City, 1976), 196.
67
68
Great Organ (continued)
17. Contra Trom ba.......................................................16'118. Trom ba.................................................................. 8'119. Octave Trom ba.................................................... 4'
Swell Organ
20. Double Stop Diapason.....................16'21. Hom Diapason.................................................... 8 '22. Stopped Diapason.......................8'23. Viola da Gam ba................................................... 8'24. Voix Celeste C.C................................................. 8'25. Erzdler.................................................................. 8'26. Octave Gam ba..................................................... 4 '27. Lieblichfl6te......................................................... 4 '28. Flautina.................................................................. 2'29. Plein Jeu............................................................... 2'30. O boe..................................................................... 8'
Tremulant31. Double Trum pet................................................. 16'32. Trum pet.................................................................. 8'33. Clarion.................................................................. 4 '
Choir Organ
34. Quintaton.................................................................16'35. Spitzprincipal...................................................... 8':36. Cor de Nuit............................................................ 8'37. Viole de Gambe..........................8'38. Salicional.............................................................. 8'39. Vox Angelica T. C.........................8'40. Spitzfl6te............................................................... 4'41. Zauberfl6te............................................................ 4'42. Nazard.................................................................2 2/3'43. Blockfl6te............................................................... 2'44. Tierce...................................................................1 3/5'45. Larigot................................................................. 1 1/3'46. Siffl6te.................................................................... 1'47. Zim bel..................................................................... 1'48. Contra Fagotto.......................................................16'49. Clarinet.................................................................. 8'
Celesta
69
Orchestral Organ
50. Contre Viole............................................................16'51. Flute Harmonique.........................8'52. Quintaton...............................................................8'53. Viole d'Orchestra................................................. 8'54. Viole Celeste........................................................ 8'55. Concert Flute Harm........................4'56. Viole Octaviante...................................................4'57. Piccolo Harmonique....................'.....258. Cornet de Violes........................2 2/3'59. Como di Bassetto.........................16'60. Cor Anglais........................................................... 8'61. Hautbois d'orchestre........................8'
ChimesHarp
Tuba Organ
62. Principal.............................................................. 4'63. Grande Foumiture..................2 2/3'64. Trom bone................................................................16'65. Tuba Sonora........................................................ 8'66. Trompette Harmonique.......................8'67. Quint Home........................................................5 1/3'68. Clarion Harmonique.........................4'69. Tuba Mirabilis...................................................... 8'70. Tuba Clarion.........................................................4'
Echo Great
71. Contra Gamba....................................................16'72. Open Diapason....................................................8'73. Salicional............................................................. . 8'74. Harmonic Flute.................................................... 4'75. H om ...................................................................... . 8'
Echo Swell
76. Viole Gambe.........................................................8'77. Voix Celeste T. C................................................. 8'78. G edeckt................................................................. . 8'79. Unda Maris T. C................................................... 8'
70
Echo Swell (continued)
80. Lieblichfl6te......................................................... 4 '81. Dolce Com et........................................................ 8'82. Contra O boe....................................................... 16'83. Vox Hum ana.........................................................8'
Tremulant
Echo Pedal
E4. D iapason.................................................................16'85. Diapason (from #71).........................16'86. Bourdon...................................................................16'
Pedal Organ
87. Double Open Diapason..................... 32'88. Diapason (from #87).........................16'89. Subbass.................................................................. 16'90. C ontrabass............................................................. 16'91. Geigen (from Great)........................16'92. Viole (from Orchestral)......................16'93. Gedeckt (from Swell).......................16'94. Quintaton (from Choir)......................16'95. Gemshornquint....................10 2/3'96. O ctave.................................................................. 8 '97. Principal (from #90).......................8'98. Viole Octave (from Orchestral)................8'99. Stopped Flute (from #89)....................8'100. Still G edeckt....................................................... 8'101. Octave Quint (from #95)................... 1/3'102. Superoctave (from #96).....................4'103. Choralbass (from 90-97)....................4'104. Flute (from #89-99)........................4'105. Blockfl6te............................................................ 2'106. Fourniture........................................................... . Ill107. Harm onics.............................................................1108. Bom bardon....................................................... 32'109. Ophecleide (from #108)...................16'110. Trombone (from Tuba).................... 16'111. Posaune (from 106-107)....................8'112. Clarion (from #111).......................4'
APPENDIX I1
A Chronological Listing of the Organ
Works of Healey Willan39
Listed below are the complete organ works of Healey Willan in the order
in which they were composed. The date in the left column is the year of
composition, and the date in parenthesis cites the year of publication.
Catalogue numbers are taken from Healey Wilan Catalogue by Giles Bryant
(see Bibliography).
1906 Fantasia Upon the Plainchant Melody "ad coenam agri" (B144).London: Novello & Company (1906).
1908 Prelude and Fugue in C Minor (B146). London: Novello &Company (1909).
1909 Epilogue (B145). London: Novello & Company (1909).
1909 Prelude and Fugue in B Minor (B147). London: Novello &Company (1909).
1910 Miniature Suite (B148). London: Charles Woolhouse (1910).
1916 Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue (B149). London: OxfordUniversity Press (1919).
1926 Chorale Prelude No. 1-Puer nobis nascitur (B150). Cincinnati,New York, London: The John Church Company (1926).
1928 Chorale Prelude No. 2 on the Tune "Andernach" (B151).London: Oxford University Press (1928).
39 Norman Gary Johnson, "Organ Works of Healey Willan," The American Organist, Vol. 14 No. 10(October 1980), 36-8.
71
72
1933 Elegy (B152). New York: H. W. Gray (1947)
1948 Epithalamium (B1i53). Unpublished.
? Barcarolle (B1I54). London: Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew
(1950).
1950 Six Chorale Preludes, Set 1 (B155). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1950).
1950-51 Six Chorale Preludes, Set 2 (B156). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1951).
1951 Five Preludes on Plainchant Melodies (B1i57). Toronto: OxfordUniversity Press (1951).
1953 Chorale Prelude--Kremser (B1i59). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1953).
1953 Chorale Prelude--St. Thomas (B1I60). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1953).
1954 Three Pieces (B161). London, Oakville: F. Harris (1954).
1954 Prelude--Thee We Adore, 0 Blessed Savior (B1i62). St. Louis:Concordia Publishing House (1956).
1955 Chorale-Prelude on "Te lucis" (B163). London: Oxford UniversityPress (1955).
1956 Soliloquy (B1i64). London: Oxford University Press (1956).
1956 Chorale Prelude--Easter Hymn (B1I65). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1956).
1956 Chorale Prelude--Italian Hymn (B1i66). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1956).
1956 Epilogue on "St. Theodulph" (B167). London: Novello &Company (1956).
1956 Prologue on "Ascension" (B1i68). London: Novello & Company(1956).
73
1956 Ten Hymn Preludes, Set 1 (B169). New York: C. F. PetersCorporation (1956).
1956 Rondino, Elegy and Chaconne (B171). London: Novello &Company (1957).
1957 Epithalame (B170). Toronto: BMI Canada (1957).
1957 Postlude in E Minor (B172). London: Hinrichson Edition (1957).
1957 Ten Hymn Preludes, Set 2 (B1730. New York: C. F. PetersCorporation (1957).
1958 Ten Hymn Preludes, Set 3 (B174). New York: C. F. PetersCorporation (1958).
1958 Postlude in D Major (B175). London: Oxford University Press(1958).
1958 A Fugal Trilogy (B176). Toronto: Oxford University Press (1958).
1957-58 Five Pieces for Organ (Bi77). Toronto: BMI Canada (1959).
1959 Passacaglia and Fugue No. 2 in E Minor (B178). New York: C. F.Peters Corporation (1959).
1960 Fugue in E Minor (B179). New York: C. F. Peters Corporation(1960).
1960 36 Short Preludes and Postludes on Well-Known HymnTunes, Set / (B180). New York: C. F. Peters Corporation(1960).
1960 36 Short Preludes and Postludes on Well-Known HymnTunes, Set // (B181). New York: C. F. Peters Corporation(1960).
1960 36 Short Preludes and Postludes on Well-Known HymnTunes, Set /// (B182). New York: C. F. Peters Corporation(1960).
1961 Two Pieces for Organ (B183). New York: C. F. Peters Corporation(1961).
74
1964 Interlude for a Festival (B1i58). Toronto: BMI Canada (1964).
1965 Andante, Fugue, and Chorale (B1i84). New York: C. F. PetersCorporation (1965).
1966 Chorale Prelude--Horsley (B185). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1966).
1966 Ghorale Prelude--Windsor (B186). St. Louis: ConcordiaPublishing House (1966).
1966 Chorale Prelude--Watermouth--Angel's Story (B1I87). St. Louis:Concordia Publishing House (1966).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books and Articles
Arnold, Corliss Richard. Organ Literature: A Comprehensive Survey.Metuchen, NJ: The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1973.
Beechy, Gwilym. "The Organ Music of Healey Willan (1880-1968)," MusicalOpinion (March 1981), 201-4, 223.
Bryant, Giles. "Healey Willan," The New Grove Dictionary of Music andMusicians, 20 vols., ed. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan, 1980, XX,428-30.
. Healey Willan Catalogue. Ottawa: National Library of Canada,1972.
Campbell-Yukl, Joylin. Healey Willan: the Independent Organ Works. DMAdissertation, University of Missouri, Kansas City, 1976.
. "Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue," TheAmerican Organist Vol. 14 No. 10 (October 1980), 39-41.
Catalogue of Canadian Keyboard Music. Toronto: Canadian Music Centre,1971.
Clarke, Frederick Robert Charles. Healey Willan: Life and Music. Toronto:University of Toronto Press, 1983.
Giles, W. B. "The Organ Works of Healey Willan," Journal of Church Music 7(September 1965), 12-14.
Grace, Harvey. "The Late Max Reger as Organ Composer," The Musical Times57 (January-December 1916), 282-4.
Griffiths, Paul. "Healey Willan," The New Oxford Companion to Music, 2 vols.,ed. Denis Arnold. New York: Oxford University Press, 1980,11, 1980.
75
76
Hudson, Richard. "Passacaglia," The New Grove Dictionary of Music andMusicians, 20 vols., ed. Stanley Sadie. London: Macmillan, 1980, XIV,2267-70.
Johnson, Norman Gary. "Healey Willan: 1880-1968," The American OrganistVol. 14 No. 10 (October 1980), 34-6.
._"Organ Works of Healey Willan," The AmericanOrganist Vol. 14 No. 10 (October 1980), 36-8.
Kahlmann, Helmut, Giles Potvin and Kenneth Winters. Encyclopedia of Musicin Canada, 2nd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1992.
Macmillan, Ernest. "Healey Willan: 1880-1968," Diapason 59 (April 1968), 20.
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. Weinen, Kagen, Sorgen, Zagen, ed. Martin Haselbbck. Universal,1985.
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.i introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue in E Minor. Wiesbaden:Breitkopf & Hartel, n.d.
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Willan, Healey. Introduction, Passacaglia, and Fugue. London: OxfordUniversity Press, 1919.
. Prelude and Fugue in C Minor. Ottawa: The Canadian MusicalHeritage, 1985.
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